Rusty Bryant Returns

Drew Layman
May 3
4 min read

By the time Rusty Bryant signed with Prestige Records in 1968, nearly a decade had passed since his time at Dot Records. After Hank Marr wrapped up his sessions for King Records, Bryant's recording career had slowed. He couldn’t have known that a chance encounter with jazz writer Bob Porter on a July night in 1966 would set the stage for his artistic rebirth. He just had to wait a couple of years—until Porter graduated and landed a gig at Prestige Records. Porter helped bring Bryant to the label, overseeing the May 1969 release of Rusty Bryant Returns.

Rusty Bryant

Rusty Bryant Returns

Prestige, PR 7626

1969

Once Porter got to Prestige, he wasted no time. He helped sign Bryant in 1968 and eased him back into the recording game with an appearance on Richard “Groove” Holmes’ That Healin’ Feelin’. This album reintroduced Bryant’s sax playing to listeners and included a fresh take on his early hit, “Castle Rock.” For the Rusty Bryant Returns session a few months later, drummer Herbie Lovelle from the Holmes date headed into Rudy Van Gelder’s legendary studio across the Hudson in New Jersey with Bryant on February 17, 1969.

The Columbus Dispatch - January 17, 1969

Interestingly, The Columbus Dispatch mentioned a recording session in early January where Bryant supposedly cut “half of an album.” But aside from that brief mention, there’s little evidence of any material being released from that session.

Porter had known about Bryant long before they met. “He was a very easy cat to work with,” he recalled in the Legends of Acid Jazz, Vol. 2 liner notes. “I first met Rusty the night before I got married in 1966. I’d known about him for a long time because he was on Dot Records in the Fifties, and some of the stuff that was recorded live in a joint called the Carolyn Club in Columbus became hits: ‘All Night Long’ and ‘Castle Rock.’”

If Bryant’s transition from Dot Records to Rusty Bryant Returns was a leap forward, it was practically a vault artistically. It’s hard to say exactly how much influence Porter had, but what’s clear is that the album wasn’t recorded with Rusty’s live band—session players handled the date instead. And while Returns is most often discussed in relation to guitarist Grant Green’s comeback after a two-year recording hiatus, let’s not lose sight of the fact that Bryant was the one making his creative statement here: four of the six tracks are his own compositions.

Rounding out the lineup were Prestige signee Sonny Phillips on organ and bassist Bob Bushnell, creating a dynamic interplay that set the tone for Bryant’s comeback. The album kicks off with “Zoo Boogaloo,” a nod to the recently opened Columbus jazz club Bryant had just debuted at, as well as the boogaloo-influenced jazz trend. At the time, he had started using a Conn Multi-Vider electric effects unit, which even got credit on the album sleeve. While Porter was reportedly not a fan of the effect, it undoubtedly added to the album’s soul-jazz sound, giving Bryant’s sax a distinct, electrified edge.

Critical reception was solid. Prestige wasn’t Blue Note, but it carried serious weight in the jazz world, and Returns reportedly did well commercially, helping elevate Bryant’s national profile. That said, Bryant wasn’t looking to leave Columbus behind. “There were certain major-league players who tended to stay in Ohio,” Porter noted in the Acid Jazz, Vol. 2 liners. “Rusty… may have liked Ohio better than New York or Los Angeles.”

Grant Green kicks things off in style on “The Cat,” a Lalo Schifrin tune that Jimmy Smith had recorded a few years earlier. Bryant follows with a relatively subdued solo, with the Multi-Vider in full effect. Then Phillips—who arranged the track—dives in, absolutely shredding the organ. The side wraps up with “Ready Rusty?,” a straight-ahead jazz number where everyone gets their moment, with Green’s phrasing and tone sounding immaculate as he announces his return.

Side two brings us back to the boogaloo feel with “Streak O’Lean,” where Bryant’s electrified sax takes center stage. Over time, the sound heard on Returns would become more influential—modern groups like The Greyboy Allstars cite Bryant’s Prestige-era work as inspiration for their “vibe over virtuosity” approach, as noted in a recent DownBeat feature. But for Bryant, Returns was just the beginning. Bigger records, higher sales, and his most influential albums were still ahead.