Richard Wyands


Richard Francis Wyands was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, best known for his work as a side-man.

Early life

Wyands was born in Oakland, California on July 2, 1928. He began playing as a teenager in San Francisco, but later moved to New York City. At school and college he played piano and drums. He began playing professionally in 1944. Count Basie was an early influence on Wyands' style.

Later life and career

In the early 1950s, Wyands was part of Vernon Alley's group that was the house band at the Black Hawk club in San Francisco, and thus part of the rhythm section that accompanied visiting soloists. The year after leaving the Black Hawk in 1954, Wyands was an intermission performer at another San Francisco club, before becoming music director for vocalist Ella Fitzgerald during a 3-month period in 1956.
For ten months around 1957, he was accompanist to pop singers in a club in Ottawa, Canada. Following this, he toured with vocalist Carmen McRae for three months, and arrived in New York with her in 1958. In New York, he played with Roy Haynes, Charles Mingus, Jerome Richardson, and Gigi Gryce. In the 1960s Wyands was a member of Illinois Jacquet's band.
Wyands worked with guitarist Kenny Burrell from 1965 to 1974.
Wyands died September 25, 2019 in New York.

Discography

As leader

With Gene Ammons
With Kenny Burrell
With Benny Carter
With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
With Teddy Edwards
With Frank Foster
With Gigi Gryce
With Roy Haynes
  • Just Us
With Freddie Hubbard
  • First Light
With Willis Jackson
With Etta Jones
With Roland Kirk
With Charles Mingus
  • '
With Oliver Nelson
With Houston Person
  • Person-ified
  • My Romance
  • Soft Lights
  • Blue Velvet
  • Sentimental Journey
With Jerome Richardson
  • Roamin' with Richardson
With James Spaulding
With Buddy Tate and Al Grey
  • Just Jazz
With Cal Tjader
  • Cal Tjader: Vibist
  • Ritmo Caliente
With Warren Vaché
With Richard Williams
  • New Horn in Town
With Lem Winchester
  • Lem Winchester with Feeling
With Bobby Kapp, Gene Perla'