<\/a><\/p>\n AT 96-YEARS-YOUNG, PIANIST, VOCALIST. COMPOSER AND L.A. JAZZ LEGEND BETTY BRYANT (\u201cCOOL MISS B\u201d) RELEASES HER 15th ALBUM<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n NOTHIN\u2018 BETTER TO DO<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Available January 16, 2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n BETTY BRYANT<\/strong> is a Los Angeles treasure. The singer, pianist, and composer has been a regular on the Southern California jazz scene since 1955, when she moved from her hometown of Kansas City, MO, where she was mentored by the late, great Jay McShann. Now, at the remarkable age of 96, Bryant is releasing NOTHIN\u2019 BETTER TO DO<\/em><\/strong>, her 15th album. It follows her 2024 release Lotta Livin.\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Dubbed \u201cCool Miss B\u201d by Robert Kyle, after he wrote a song for her first album in 1997 entitled \u201cCool Miss B,\u201d her blues-based piano and vocal stylings have garnered a legion of fans at numerous jazz clubs and night spots up and down the West Coast and beyond. She has performed in the Middle East and Brazil, and for many years was a popular attraction at the upscale Tableaux Lounge in Tokyo, Japan. She was also a featured performer at the Boquete Jazz and Blues Festival in Boquete, Panama. Back home, she had a long-term engagement at celebrity chef Susan Feniger\u2019s Hollywood restaurant, Street. The \u201cBetty Bryant Birthday Bash\u201d is still a hugely popular annual event at Los Angeles\u2019 famed Catalina Jazz Club, and she also performs monthly at the historic L.A. Athletic Club and semi-yearly at Herb Alpert\u2019s posh Vibrato Jazz Club.<\/p>\n Although she had been actively engaged in all the production aspects of her previous albums, she was happy to hand the reins to ROBERT KYLE, to handle most of the production work. Kyle, a saxophonist and flutist, is a mainstay on the Los Angeles jazz scene as well as a touring and recording artist. He has played on and either produced or co-produced most of Bryant\u2019s albums. She says, \u201cRob and Alan Eichler, who is the executive producer of this album, saw to it that all I had to do was come in and play and sing. I\u2019ve slowed down quite a bit and can\u2019t record more than one song a day, so a lot of the responsibility for the recording, mixing and organization fell on Rob\u2019s shoulders.\u201d Kyle notes, \u201cI\u2019m grateful to Miss B and Alan Eichler for trusting me again to produce this latest collection of music. We\u2019ve been making music together for nearly 35 years, and she continues to inspire and delight! It\u2019s an honor and a joy to make music with her and to have her as my dear friend.\u201d<\/p>\n Also joining Bryant on NOTHIN\u2019 BETTER TO DO<\/em> <\/strong>are some of the stellar musicians that live in Southern California, including RICHARD SIMON (bass), KEVIN WINARD (drums), AARON SERFATY (drums), HUSSAIN JIFFRY (bass), TONY GUERRERO (trumpet), KLEBER JORGE (guitar), LUANNE HOMZY (violin and viola), and NED TARO (cello).<\/p>\n NOTHIN\u2019 BETTER TO DO<\/strong><\/em> features three original tunes (one by Bryant, one by Bryant and Kyle, and one by Kyle) as well as several tracks that are off the beaten path. With Bryant and Kyle out front, the music swings with an appealing bluesy, lilting quality. The arrangements are mostly by Bryant and Kyle, with string arrangements on two tracks by Jim McMillen. Although her vision is very poor and her step is not as steady as it once was, her music and the witty lyrics she still writes for her own compositions show a joie de vivre that is simply infectious. Bryant says, \u201cI\u2019ve been playing the piano for 90 years. It\u2019s a big part of who I am. I still have a lot of music to make.\u201d<\/p>\n Bryant sets the tone for the album with the opening number, \u201cYou Are Not My First Love.\u201d A swinging tune, Bryant sings it with her characteristic smile and tongue-in-cheek attitude. \u201cI Can\u2019t See for Looking\u201d is a soulful bluesy number, originally recorded by Nat King Cole, who credits his wife, Nadine Robinson, as co-writer. \u201cHe May Be Your Man\u201d is a Bryant original, which she says, \u201cis kind of a mash up of a few really old blues songs.\u201d The song features solos by Simon on bass, Kyle on tenor, and Bryant on piano. \u201cI Haven\u2019t Got Anything Better to Do\u201d is a sly song about lost love featuring the witty line, \u201cI think about him on alternate Thursdays, when I haven\u2019t got anything better to do.\u201d The tune has a bossa nova feel enhanced by longtime friend and collaborator, guitarist Kleber Jorge, who adds an authentic Brazilian flavor. Kyle (on tenor) and Jorge offer sensitive solos, and the beautiful string arrangement adds a lush quality to this track.<\/p>\n \u201cTime Was\u201d was written in 1936 by Mexican composer Miguel Prado and lyricist Gabriel Luna de la Fuente. Originally titled \u201cDuerme,\u201d American lyricist S.K. Russell wrote new English lyrics in 1941 and changed the title. Arranged with an Afro-Cuban groove, Kyle is featured on flute. \u201cMama Sue\u201d is a toe-tapping New Orleans-inspired original composed by Bryant and Kyle about how to get to a heavenly rib joint. Bryant shows off her swing chops on \u201cThanks for You,\u201d a rarely done tune that was first recorded in 1947 by Frankie Laine and Carl Fischer\u2019s Orchestra. \u201cAwrite Then,\u201d composed by Kyle, is a laid-back instrumental blues shuffle with solos by Kyle, Bryant, Guerrero, Simon, and Winard. Closing the album, \u201cWinter Warm,\u201d features lush strings and flute. A seasonal love song originally performed by Gail Storm in 1957, it\u2019s one of Bacharach and David\u2019s lesser-performed songs.<\/p>\n At 96 years old, Betty Bryant might need a little help climbing up on a stage, but her singing and playing have not lost a step. She continues to entertain and touch the hearts of audiences on both her recordings and live performances.<\/p>\n About Betty Bryant<\/strong><\/p>\n Betty Bryant was honored in 1987 when her hometown of Kansas City declared \u201cBetty Bryant Day\u201d and gave her the keys to the city. A famous photograph of Betty with Jay McShann hangs in the lobby of the American Jazz Museum there. She moved to the west coast in 1955, where she immediately got an engagement at Beverly Hills\u2019 famed \u201cYe Little Club.\u201d This was the beginning of mostly solo appearances in Los Angeles. Her reputation grew, and she quickly became a popular act on the west coast. Bryant\u2019s past releases include 14 critically acclaimed CDs, including 2009\u2019s No Regrets, which received airplay on over 100 jazz stations nationwide.\u00a0 Her 2018 release Project 88 spent nine weeks on the JazzWeek chart, hitting #22. Her original song \u201cCatfish Man\u201d was a huge hit on jazz radio, bringing her new fans worldwide.<\/p>\n NOTHIN\u2018 BETTER TO DO<\/strong><\/em> will be available digitally on all platforms on January 16, 2026. Physical copies will be available at Bandcamp. Distribution by City Hall Records via AMPED\/Alliance Entertainment.<\/p>\n ONLINE:<\/strong><\/p>\n www.bettybryant.com<\/a><\/p>\n www.facebook.com\/betty.bryant.520<\/a><\/p>\n Mouthpiece Music<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.theurbanmusicscene.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Nothin_-Better-to-Do-COVER-1024x930.jpg\")
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