Alex Riel (13 September 1940 – 9 June 2024) was a Danish

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and rock drummer.''Jeg skal sgu sidde ved trommerne'' Af Bine Madsen. Dagbladenes Bureau, 9 February 2010. Same interview in Flensborg Avis, 17 February 2010, Side 18''Alex Riel'' Horsens Folkeblad, 16 February 2010, 2. sektion, Side 12 His first group, the Alex Riel/

Palle Mikkelborg Palle Mikkelborg (born 6 March 1941) is a Danish jazz trumpet player, composer, arranger and record producer. He is self-taught on the trumpet, although he studied conducting at the Royal Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. He became a professio ...

Quintet, won the Montreux Grand Prix Award at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annu ...

in 1968. He was married to the writer Ane Riel.

Biography

Riel recorded with, among others,

Booker Ervin Booker Telleferro Ervin II (October 31, 1930 – August 31, 1970) was an American tenor saxophone player. His tenor playing was characterised by a strong, tough sound and blues/gospel phrasing. He is remembered for his association with bassi ...

Kenny Drew Kenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew (August 28, 1928 – August 4, 1993) was an American-Danish jazz pianist. Biography Drew was born on August 28, 1928, in New York City, United States, and he received piano lessons from the age of five. Feather, ...

Kenny Werner Kenny Werner (born November 19, 1951) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and author. Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 19, 1951, and then growing up in Oceanside, Long Island, Werner began playing and performing at a young ...

, Bob Brookmeyer, Thomas Clausen,

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis,

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...

, Don Cherry,

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Early life, family and education Thad Jones was born i ...

, and

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor Saxophone, saxophonist. He performed in the United States and Europe and made many recordings with Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Johnny Hodges, a ...

. He formed a jazz ensemble with bass player

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (; 27 May 1946 – 19 April 2005), also known by his abbreviated nickname NHØP, was a Danish jazz double bassist. Biography Pedersen was born in Osted, near Roskilde, on the Danish island of Zealand, the son o ...

. Riel was also a founding member in 1968 of the Danish rock group The Savage Rose.''Riel og rytmen. Portræt: Alex Riel'' Af Tove Skytte Erngaard. Jyllands-Posten, 27 July 1997, Kultur og tv, Side 1 His album ''The Riel Deal'' won a Danish Grammy for Best Danish Jazz Album in 1996. In September 2010, Riel's 70th birthday celebration at the Jazzhus Montmartre was broadcast live with the title ''Celebration of a Living Jazz Legend'' by the Danish national television station TV2.

Personal life and death

Riel married crime fiction author Ane Riel in 2002. They lived in

Liseleje Liseleje is a former fishing village and popular tourist resort in Halsnæs Municipality, North Zealand, some 60 kilometres northwest of Copenhagen, Denmark. The original village is surrounded by extensive areas of summerhouses. It has merged wi ...

North Zealand North Zealand, also North Sealand (), refers to the northeastern part of the Danish island of Zealand. The Danish tourist authorities have recently introduced the term Danish Riviera to cover the area in view of its increasing importance for to ...

from 2005 until his death. He died at his home there on 9 June 2024, at the age of 83.

Awards

*''Danish Jazz Musician Award'' 1965 presented by

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

and Sam Woodyard (Photo) * Ben Webster Prize 1999 (shared with

and Olivier Antunes) * Danish Grammy for Best Danish Jazz Album of 1996 for ''The Riel Deal'' *''Life Time Achievement Award'' from

IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

2007 (Photo)

Discography

As leader

* ''Alex Riel Trio'' (Fona, 1965) – with

* ''Emergence'' ( Red, 1994) – with Jesper Lundgaard, Jerry Bergonzi * ''The Riel Deal'' (

Stunt A stunt is an unusual, difficult, dramatic physical feat that may require a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually for a public audience, as on television or in theaters or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Befo ...

, 1996) – with

, Jerry Bergonzi * ''Unriel'' (Stunt, 1997) – with Jerry Bergonzi,

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as a performer and composer, received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in ...

, Eddie Gómez, Mike Stern,

Niels Lan Doky Niels Lan Doky (born 3 October 1963) is a Danish jazz pianist, composer and producer. He is the older brother of jazz bassist Chris Minh Doky. Biography Doky was born in Copenhagen of a Danish mother and Vietnamese father. His father worked as ...

* ''DSB Kino'' (Stunt, 1998) – with Harry Sweets Edison,

Roger Kellaway Roger Kellaway (born November 1, 1939) is an American composer, arranger and jazz pianist who has recorded over 250 albums, and composed over 20 film scores Life and career Kellaway was born in Waban, Massachusetts, United States. He is an alum ...

* ''Rielatin'' (Stunt, 1999) – with Jerry Bergonzi, Mike Stern, Kenny Werner * ''Celebration'' (Stunt, 2000) * ''Live at Jive'' (Stunt, 2001) – with Luts Büchner Quartet * Alex Riel Trio: ''What Happened?'' (Cowbell, 2004) * Alex Riel Trio: ''The High & The Mighty'' (Cowbell, 2007) * Alex Riel Quartet: ''Live at Stars'' (Cowbell, 2008) – with

Charlie Mariano Carmine Ugo Mariano (November 12, 1923 – June 16, 2009) was an American jazz saxophone, saxophonist who focused on the alto saxophone, alto and soprano saxophone. He occasionally performed and recorded on flute and nadaswaram as well. Biogra ...

* Alex Riel Quartet: ''Riel Time'' (Cowbell, 2008) * ''Get Riel'' (Cowbell, 2008)

As sideman

With Steve Dobrogosz * ''Confessions'' (Prophone, 1980) * ''Scary Bright'' (Dragon, 1984) – with Berit Andersson With

Kenny Dorham McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and occasional singer. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention ...

* ''Scandia Skies'' (SteepleChase, 1963

980 Year 980 ( CMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Peace is concluded between Emperor Otto II (the Red) and King Lothair III (or Lothair IV) at Margut, ending the Franco-Germa ...

* ''Short Story'' (SteepleChase, 1963 979 With

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was , so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" an ...

* '' Cheese Cake'' ( SteepleChase, 1964 979 * '' King Neptune'' (SteepleChase, 1964 979 * '' Love for Sale'' (SteepleChase, 1964 982 * '' It's You or No One'' (SteepleChase, 1964 983 * ''

Billie's Bounce "Billie's Bounce" (also known as "Bill's Bounce") is a jazz composition written in 1945 by Charlie Parker in the form of a 12 bar F blues. Some sources claim that the song was dedicated to Dizzy Gillespie, Dizzy Gillespie's agent, Billy Shaw, al ...

'' (SteepleChase, 1964 983 * '' Loose Walk'' (SteepleChase 1965 003 * ''

Misty In cryptography, MISTY1 (or MISTY-1) is a block cipher designed in 1995 by Mitsuru Matsui and others for Mitsubishi Electric. MISTY1 is one of the selected algorithms in the European NESSIE project, and has been among the cryptographic tech ...

'' (SteepleChase, 1965 004 * '' Heartaches'' (SteepleChase, 1965 004 * ''

Ladybird Coccinellidae () is a widespread family of small beetles. They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in the United Kingdom; "lady" refers to mother Mary. Entomologists use the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles ...

'' (SteepleChase, 1965 005 * '' More Than You Know'' (SteepleChase, 1975) * '' Swiss Nights Vol. 1'' (SteepleChase, 1975 976 * '' Swiss Nights Vol. 2'' (SteepleChase, 1975 978 * '' Swiss Nights Vol. 3'' (SteepleChase, 1975 979 * '' Lullaby for a Monster'' (SteepleChase, 1976 981 With Karin Krog * ''You Must Believe in Spring'' (Polydor, 1974) * ''Love Songs'' (Polydor, 1977) * ''Something Borrowed … Something New'' (Meantime, 1989) – with Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Kenny Drew With

Warne Marsh Warne Marion Marsh (October 26, 1927 – December 18, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Los Angeles, his playing first came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of pianist Lennie Tristano and earned attention in the 1970s as ...

* '' Jazz Exchange Vol. 1'' (Storyville, 1975 976 * ''Live at the Montmartre Club'' (Storyville, 1975 983 – with

Lee Konitz Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...

With

Jackie McLean John Lenwood McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator. He is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their death. Bio ...

* '' Live at Montmartre'' (SteepleChase, 1972) * '' Ode to Super'' (SteepleChase, 1973) – with Gary Bartz * '' A Ghetto Lullaby'' (SteepleChase, 1974) * '' The Meeting'' (SteepleChase, 1974) – with

* '' The Source'' (SteepleChase, 1974) – with Dexter Gordon With

* ''The Mysterious Corona'' (Debut, 1967) – with Radiojazzgruppen * ''Ashoka Suite/Guadiana/Concert (Dedicated to Torolf Mølgaard)'' (Metronome, 1970) With The Savage Rose * ''The Savage Rose'' (Polydor, 1968) * ''In the Plain'' (Polydor, 1968) * ''Travelin (Polydor, 1969) * ''Your Daily Gift'' (Gregar, 1970) * ''Refugee'' (Gregar, 1971) * ''Babylon'' (Polydor, 1972) * '' Dødens triumf'' (Polydor, 1972) With

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

* '' The House I Live In'' (SteepleChase, 1963

– with

Lars Gullin Lars Gunnar Victor Gullin (4 May 1928 – 17 May 1976) was a Swedish jazz saxophonist. Career Lars Gullin was born in Visby, Sweden. He was a child prodigy on the accordion. At age thirteen, he played clarinet in a military band and later l ...

* ''Frankfurt Workshop '78: Tenor Saxes'' (Circle, 1978 985 – with George Adams, Heinz Sauer * ''Devil Blues'' (Circle, 1978 986 With Sahib Shihab * '' Sahib's Jazz Party'' ( Debut, 1963) * ''Sahib Shihab and The Danish Radio Jazz Group'' (Oktav, 1965) With

Stuff Smith Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith (August 14, 1909 – September 25, 1967), better known as Stuff Smith, was an American jazz violinist. He is well known for the song " If You're a Viper" (the original title was "You'se a Viper"). Smith was, al ...

* ''Live at the Montmartre'' (Storyville, 1965

988 Year 988 ( CMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Fall – Emperor Basil II, supported by a contingent of 6,000 Varangians (the future Varangian Guard), organiz ...

* ''Swingin' Stuff'' (EmArcy, 1965) * ''Violin Summit'' (SABA, 1967) – with Stéphane Grappelli, Svend Asmussen,

Jean-Luc Ponty Jean-Luc Ponty (born 29 September 1942) is a French jazz and jazz fusion violinist and composer. He is considered a pioneer of jazz-rock, particularly for his use of the electric violin starting in the 1970s. He rose to prominence for his colla ...

With

* ''Intimate!'' (Fontana, 1965) * ''Blue Light'' (Polydor, 1966) * ''Duke's in Bed!'' (Black Lion, 1969) * ''Stormy Weather'' (Polydor, 1970) – with

* '' My Man: Live at Montmartre 1973'' (SteepleChase, 1973) * ''Saturday Night at the Montmartre'' (Black Lion, 1974) * ''Atmosphere for Lovers and Thieves'' (Black Lion, 1976) * ''Midnight at the Montmartre'' (Black Lion, 1977) * ''Sunday Morning at the Montmartre'' (Black Lion, 1977) With others * Hacke Björkstens septett: ''I lur och dur'' (Megafon, 1972) * Bob Brookmeyer: ''Holiday'' (Challenge, 1981) *

Birgit Brüel Birgit Brüel (6 October 1927 – 23 February 1996) was a Danish singer and actress who participated in the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest. Brüel's professional career began in 1950 when she joined the Max Brüel Quartet as a jazz singer, and be ...

: ''Dame i Danmark'' (Metronome, 1967) * Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis: '' Swingin' Till the Girls Come Home'' (SteepleChase, 1976) * Wild Bill Davison with Kansas City Stompers: ''Wild Bill Davison in Copenhagen'' (CBS, 1974) – with

Sanne Salomonsen Susanne Salomonsen (born on 30 December 1955) is a Danish singer and songwriter, better known under the nickname Sanne Salomonsen. Salomonsen joined a local rock band in 1967, and her first solo album was released in 1973. She became one of the m ...

* Champion Jack Dupree: ''The Blues of Champion Jack Dupree'' (Storyville, 1965) * Herb Geller: ''Rhyme and Reason'' (Atlantic, 1975) – with Mark Murphy, Earl Jordan * Lars Graugaard: ''Smile'' (Skylight, 1986) – with Jukka Tolonen, Bo Stief * Al Grey and Jesper Thilo Quintet: ''Al Grey & Jesper Thilo Quintet'' (Storyville, 1987) * Bent Jædig: ''Danish Jazzman 1967'' (Debut, 1967) *

Steve Kuhn Steve Kuhn (born March 24, 1938) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator. He is the composer of the jazz standard " The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers". Biography Kuhn was born in New York City, New York, to S ...

, Bengt Hallberg, Monica Zetterlund, Radiojazzgruppen, Sveriges Radios Jazzgrupp: ''Chicken Feathers'' (SR, 1972) * Makanda Ken McIntyre, Ken McIntyre: ''Hindsight (Ken McIntyre album), Hindsight'' (SteepleChase, 1974) * The Radio Jazz Group: ''The Radio Jazz Group'' (Debut, 1965) * Zoot Sims and Kenny Drew Trio: ''Live in Denmark'' (Vantage, 1978 [1990]) * Thorgeir Stubø: ''Flight (Thorgeir Stubø album), Flight'' (Hot Club Records, Hot Club, 1985) * Toots Thielemans: ''Slow Motion'' (CBS, 1978) * Radka Toneff: ''Live in Hamburg'' (Odin, 1981 [1992])

Gallery

Image:alex-riel01.jpg Image:alex-riel02.jpg Image:alex-riel03.jpg Image:alex-riel04.jpg

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riel, Alex 1940 births 2024 deaths Hard bop drummers Danish rock drummers Danish jazz drummers Musicians from Copenhagen People from Halsnæs Municipality Musicians from the Capital Region of Denmark Ben Webster Prize recipients