Richard Gavin Bryars (born 16 January 1943 in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, England) is an English composer and double bassist whose work spanned jazz, minimalism, historicism, free improvisation, and experimental music. He first gained notice as a bassist in the trio Joseph Holbrooke with Derek Bailey and Tony Oxley, touring with Lee Konitz in 1966 before moving into free improvisation; a disillusionment with the style prompted him to focus on composition. His early scores, The Sinking of the Titanic (1969) and Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (1971), established his reputation for indeterminist and looping techniques, with the latter later recorded with Tom Waits in 1993. Bryars released a series of albums with his own ensemble, including La Nouvelle Sérénité (1987), Biped – Music For the Dance by Merce Cunningham (2003), and After the Requiem (2007). He has collaborated with artists such as Brian Eno, Merce Cunningham, and the Hilliard Ensemble, composed operas and ballets such as Medea (1982) and The Fifth Century (2014), and received an Ivor Novello Award for Innovation in 2024.
