Ray Blue Quintet

Minton's Playhouse is the legendary landmark jazz spot in Harlem! The birthplace of Bebop and modern jazz. We currently have live music Thursday to Sunday!

Purchase your ticket and come enjoy a high caliber of live music while enjoying a full dinner and cocktail/wine menu!

Visit our website for more information! www.mintonsharlem.com

Performance:

Doors Open at 9:30PM

Show Starts at 10PM

Tickets: $25

($20 Minimum Spend Per Guest)

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About the band:

Ray Blue Quintet

Ray Blue - Saxophone

Eddie Allen - Trumpet

Nat Adderly, Jr. - Piano

Belden Bullock - Bass

Steve Johns - Drums

www.rayblue.com

"Ray Blue has a majestic presence…when playing, his sense of purpose is obvious. It's one thing to be a good composer, it's another to be a great performer. Ray Blue's got the whole package."

Jean Szlamowicz, Jazz Hot, Down Beatoe Ross, Roots Music Report

"He has a big sound and the improvisatory presence, unfurling broad-shoulderedolos... a vigorous player who knows how to hold a crowd."

​Peter Vacher, London Jazz Review

Ray Blue is a soulful and tender saxophonist, composer and music educator. He is part of the New York scene and tours internationally. He has a big warm sound that captures you and holds you tight. He has 7 releases with his most recent projects on Jazzheads. His latest release Work remained on the Jazz Week Chart for more than two months, peaking at #7, and his holiday single, soon to be a classic, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas topped off at #2. Ray is earning considerable attention in the U.S. and Europe with his stellar band and his heartfelt soloing. A new recording featuring Kenny Barron on piano is scheduled to be released this fall 2021.

​Ray was born in Portsmouth, Virginia and raised in Peekskill, New York. He was drawn to the music of Miles Davis and others but specifically to the tenor saxophone sounds of Stanley Turrentine, Gene Ammons, Ben Webster, John Coltrane, Jr. Walker and King Curtis. As a teenager he played in the school jazz band and an R&B/soul band where he learned a deep appreciation for the blues form. Ray earned a Bachelor’s degree from William Penn University and a Masters from the University of Iowa in Clinical Social Work, where he developed a deep interest in society and social psychology.

​Ray joined the New York jazz scene. He has built many meaningful relationships over the years. He studied at the Jazz Mobile and mentored with several jazz luminaries where he contributed as a leader, sideman and band member with some of the most notable names in jazz: Charles Davis, Paul Jeffries, Houston Person, Barry Harris, Ornette Coleman, Benny Golson, George Coleman, Kenny Barron, Kirk Lightsey, John Gilmore, Dr. Art Davis, John Patton, Benny Powell, Eddie Henderson, Charlie Persip, Wycliff Gordon, Bernard Purdie, Ted Curson, Joe Lee Wilson, The Sun Ra Arkestra, Cotton Club All Stars and many others.