Tim Ray

Review:

This is the two hundred third in a series of special Jazz on the Tube reviews of live stream performances.

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Tim Ray, who has worked in recent years as Tony Bennett’s pianist and musical director, has appeared on over 100 recordings in his career thus far.

A versatile and technically skilled pianist who has led five albums of his own, Ray has performed with Kurt Elling, Gary Burton, Esperanza Spalding, Phil Woods, Scott Hamilton, Dave Douglas, Gunther Schuller, the Boston Pops Orchestra, Aretha Franklin, Lyle Lovett and many others in addition to Tony Bennett.

On his LiveStream from Jan. 30, 2021, Tim Ray performs inventive solo piano versions of “All Blues,” “Moonglow,” “Speak Low,” a quirky reworking of “Tea For Two,” “Blackbird” and some lesser-known material, all of it played with creativity and joy.

– Scott Yanow