Ralph Sharon

After stints with Carmen McRae and Chris Connor, Ralph Sharon has spent most of his time since the late 1950s as Tony Bennett's accompanist and musical director. The same breezy, mainstream jazz piano style that millions have heard on Bennett's recordings are put to good use on Sharon's recent DRG albums. They show that this Brit can swing as elegantly on the piano as Noel Coward could on the putting green. His classy cocktail sound almost puts him in the same league as the more influential George Shearing, Red Garland, and the peerless Errol Garner.