Richard Francis Wyands (July 2, 1928 – September 25, 2019) 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 and grew up in Berkeley. He began playing the piano at age 7 or 8 and started playing professionally in 1944, while a teenager, in San Francisco. Wyands earned a degree in music from San Francisco State College in 1950. At school and college he played piano and drums. Wyands was influenced by Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Erroll Garner, Art Tatum, and Teddy Wilson.

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 (1959), Jerome Richardson (1959), 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 on September 25, 2019, in New York.

Discography

As leader

As sideman

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 With Freddie Hubbard With Willis Jackson With Etta Jones With Bobby Kapp and Gene Perla With Roland Kirk With Charles Mingus With Oliver Nelson With Houston Person With Jerome Richardson With James Spaulding With Buddy Tate and Al Grey With Cal Tjader With Warren Vaché With Richard Williams With Lem Winchester