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Pianist/composer Ray d'Inverno has played in every format from solo to big band. He currently leads his piano trio, the Miles Davis tribute band "Blue of a Kind'' and the Art Blakey tribute band "Hot House", jointly leads the "Ray d'Inverno/Tony Roberts Quartet'' and the "Ray d'Inverno/Lee Goodall Quartet'' and is a member of Andy Urquhart's "Mambo Santamaria'' and Rod Paton's "Hornucopia''. Originally greatly influenced by Bill Evans and subsequently Keith Jarrett, he has now developed his own distinctive style. He was voted top modern soloist in the Dunkirk International Jazz Festival (Europe's leading competitive jazz festival) in both 1978 and 1979 playing with Tim Colwell's "Jazz Friends'', and returned the subsequent year to win it with his trio who subsequently appeared on French national TV. He has had numerous broadcasts on British radio and he appeared with his big band, the "Southampton Musicians' Co-operative Big Band'', on national TV before they embarked on an 11-day national tour playing with the highly acclaimed "European Quartet'' with Tony Oxley (drums), Rob van den Broeck (piano), Gerd Dudek (reeds) and leader Ali Haurand (bass). His trio has backed many jazz stars including Al Cohn, Al Grey, Jerome Richardson, Spike Robinson and Ali Ryerson (from the USA) and many British jazz stars including Gilad Atzman, Alan Barnes, Chris Biscoe, Tony Coe, John Etheridge, Mornington Lockett, Mark Lockheart, Henry Lowther, Tina May, Jim Mullen, Mark Nightingale, Dick Pearce, Don Rendall, Alan Skidmore, Andy Sheppard, Stan Sulzmann, Theo Travis, Art Themen, Ray Warleigh, Don Weller, Bobby Wellins, John Williams and Norma Winstone.

Ray has been involved with jazz education and jazz administration and served as past chairman of the regional jazz organization Jazz South, chairman of Southampton Jazz Promotions (which held ten jazz festivals in Southampton), chairman of the Southampton Jazz Club and founder of Southampton Musicians Co-operative. He is an established composer and has had a number of commissions including an Arts Council of Great Britain Bursary for his suite for jazz quartet and string quartet "Four by Four'' which has been performed at three jazz festivals. A subsequent commission was for a choral work "April Rise'', written for a leading London choir and which has been performed in London, Paris and Florence. He received another commission for a choral work "Childs Songs'' which involved both jazz and minimalist elements and which was shortlisted for an international composers award. He was commissioned to write a millennial choral work entitled "Requiem for the 20th Century" which was performed in 2000. Indeed Ray has been a prolific composer of Church music with over one hundred pieces of sacred music including ten very distinctive mass settings. In 2006 he was awarded a papal medal (a "bene merenti") for his services to St. Josephs Catholic Church, the mother church of Southampton where, among other things, he was the director of music for 25 years.

Ray was classically trained as a pianist and turned to jazz at the age of 16. Within a couple of years he had opened a jazz club in Bushey, North London and his trio backed many visiting British jazz musicians (including Tubby Hayes). Other notable events include the appearance of his trio in the 1981 Bracknell jazz festival (then Britain's leading jazz festival) to pay tribute to the late Bill Evans. In fact they also appeared in a special British memorial concert with the John Horler trio to mark the tenth anniversary of Bill Evans. He has appeared in a significant number of jazz festivals in this country and on the continent. In 1992 his trio appeared in the Atina Jazz Festival in Italy opposite "Joe Zawinul's Syndicate'' to considerable critical acclaim. In 1998 he received an Arts for everyone Lottery bursary to complete two albums with Lee Goodall, fund a small tour and a series of workshops. He mostly plays on the South Coast, but his groups have played regularly in the Royal Festival Hall, London as part of the lunchtime and foyer jazz series.

Ray recently moved to Bridport in West Dorset in part to work more regularly with local sax hero Tony Roberts (check out Tony's solo on the album excerpt from "So What"). Tony lives in the locality and became famous on the London jazz scene in the 1960s and 1970s playing with groups lead by John Dankworth, Mike Gibbs, Kenny Wheeler, Ray Russell, Ian Carr, Danny Thompson and John McLaughlin. He was also heavily involved in the folk scene touring and recording with many groups including "Pentangle" and those lead by John Renbourn and Richard Thompson. Another interest in Indian Classical Music led him to set up the group “Na-Da” which has appeared at a number of venues in the locality. Since moving Ray and Tony have formed the "Ray d'Inverno/Tony Roberts Quartet" playing classic modern jazz.

Recordings (post 1990):-

Tape Cassettes

"A tribute to Bill Evans'' Ray d'Inverno Trio & John Horler Trio,
Bargate Radiotrax, BARX 31, (1990).
"First Outing'' Ray d'Inverno's Tonal Centre,
Bargate Radiotrax, BARX 38, (1990).
"The Jarrett Standards Concert'' Ray d'Inverno Trio,
Bargate Radiotrax, BARX 43, (1991).
"Songs of Blessing'' University College Chamber Choir, conductor David Drummond.
(includes "April Rise'').
Bargate Radiotrax, BARX 55, (1992).
"A Dat Date at Dill's'' Ray d'Inverno's Tonal Centre,
Bargate Radiotrax, BARX 71, (1992).
"Single Takes'' Ray d'Inverno's Tonal Centre,
Bargate Radiotrax, BARX 94, (1993).
"The Bloomsbury Chamber Choir Delights'', conductor Christopher Cox,
(includes "Childs Songs'').
Bargate Radiotrax, BARX 103, (1994)
"Jazz-Is'' Andy Urquhart's Jazz-Is,
Bargate Radiotrax, BARX 145 (1995).

CDs