Bross Townsend (October 18, 1933 – May 12, 2003) was an American jazz and blues pianist known for his versatile work in hard bop, stride, blues, and jump jazz.
Bross Elvie Townsend Jr. was born in Princeton, Kentucky, the son of Jean Calvert and Bross Townsend Sr. The family lived on Cave Street in Princeton. Bross started to play the piano at the age of seven. He moved to Cleveland in 1951 and attended the Cleveland Institute of Music.
He accompanied local singers such as Little Jimmy Scott and Wynonie Harris and played freelance from 1953 with Gene Ammons, John Coltrane, Memphis Slim, and Jimmy Reed. He also played for singers such as Diana Ross, Big Maybelle, and Dinah Washington.
Here's "Summertime" from above album
Townsend contributed key work to multi-instrumentalist Warren Smith’s Composer’s Workshop Ensemble and played instruments including piano, organ, and harpsichord on Melvin Van Peebles' landmark production/soundtrack Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971).
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He made several tours of Europe as a solo performer. He was also a member of The 3B's, with Bob Cunningham and Bernard Purdie. They recorded two albums of jazz and blues standards in the mid-1990s, both of which featured, among other sidemen, Houston Person on tenor saxophone and Fred Smith on trumpet.
The three B's had previously recorded together in 1985 on Bob Cunningham's only album as leader, Walking Bass. Purdie, Carrie Smith, and Bross Townsend had previously performed together at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's 100 Years of Jazz and Blues festival in 1992. Townsend went blind in the middle of the 1990s but continued to perform, including as an accompanist with Norman Mapp.
Townsend died in Jamaica, New York at the age of 69. His performances can be heard on a number of recordings, including the albums I Love Jump Jazz, I've Got Music On My Mind, Dakota Station's album Darling Please Save Your Love for Me, and The Dynamic 3B's After Hours.
(Scant information edited from Wikipedia & AllMusic)
