It is unbelievable but the 94-year-old American pianist, composer and singer Betty Bryant is still very much alive. She released her 14th album last month, 5 years after 'Project 88'. To that end, she assembled a band consisting of Robert Kyle (sax, flute, harmonica), Richard Simon (bass), Kenny Elliott (drums), plus guest musicians Tony Guerrero (trumpet), Hussain Jiffry (bass), Kleber Jorge (guitar) , Yu “Big Poppa” Ooka (guitar) and Kevin Winard (percussion). Betty's career began in her hometown of Kansas City at the age of four. She then studied piano during the Depression, which was not easy, but her career is still going strong. Her nickname is “Cool Miss B,” and in 1987 the city of Kansas City proclaimed “Betty Bryant Day.” Then she moved to the West Coast. For her new CD she wrote 4 songs herself and provided the rest with arrangements. She opens with the classic 'Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea', and her voice still sounds surprisingly good. In 'Put a Lid on it' she complains about her husband, followed by Bobby Troup's 'Baby, Baby All the Time'. The cheerful instrumental 'Blues to Get Started' swings like crazy. Next comes her own song 'Chicken Wings', on which she talks about her love for chicken wings, and it is a duet with the harmonica. The classic 'Stormy Monday' is a slow blues, after which 'Katydid' also sounds cheerful. She gives the standard 'The Very Thought of You' a light Brazilian arrangement, followed by the closing track 'A Lot of Livin' to Do' from a Broadway musical. A remarkable achievement by an artist who is not yet thinking about quitting. “Music gets me out of bed in the morning,” she says. A nice discovery!
		Tracks: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Put a Lid on It Baby, Baby All the Time Blues to Get Started Chicken Wings Stormy Monday Katydid The Very Thought of You A Lot of Livin’ to Do Betty Bryant