Wray Downes

Wray Downes (born January 14, 1931 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian jazz pianist.

Downes is classically trained, having studied at Trinity College, London, but began playing jazz in 1952 as a student at the Paris Conservatoire. While in France, he played with Sidney Bechet and Bill Coleman. After returning to Canada in the middle of the decade, he played with Oscar Peterson and was a recurring house pianist at the Town Tavern in Toronto, playing with Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, Clark Terry, and Lester Young. He played for many years with Peter Appleyard and Dave Young, and has also worked with Archie Alleyne, Pete Magadini, Buddy Tate, and Dave Turner.

References

• Mark Miller, "Wray Downes". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2nd edition, ed. Barry Kernfeld.