The Quiet One

Columbus music and culture

Rusty Bryant – America's Greatest Jazz, Vol II

By 1961, when Rusty Bryant’s America’s Greatest Jazz, Vol II was released, Dot Records' experiment with jazz was all but over. Dot had gone Hollywood, now owned by Paramount and moved from Tennessee to California. Their top-selling artists were Pat Boone, Lawrence Welk and Billy Vaughn. Most sources indicate that Bryant’s contract with Dot ended in 1957. Whether the album was released to fulfill a contractual obligation or simply because Dot owned the masters is unclear. In a

Drew Layman

Jul 24, 20224 min read

Rusty Bryant Plays Jazz

The artistic leap from Rusty Bryant’s first album, 1956’s America’s Greatest Jazz, to his second, 1958’s Rusty Bryant Plays Jazz, is startling. Considering that America’s Greatest Jazz was a compilation of Rusty’s earlier Dot singles puts it in context, though. The August 1957 sessions that comprise Rusty Bryant Plays Jazz are his first true artistic statement. Or, as Rusty himself put it, “This is the music I’ve always wanted to play.” His first release without The Carolyn C

Drew Layman

Oct 30, 20214 min read

Home: Blog2

Home: Subscribe