Benjamin Alexander Riley Jr. (July 17, 1933 – November 18, 2017) was an American

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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

drummer known for his work with

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

, as well as

Alice Coltrane Alice Coltrane (' McLeod; August 27, 1937January 12, 2007), also known by her adopted Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda, was an American jazz musician and composer, and in her later years a swamini. An accomplished pianist and one of the few h ...

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre o ...

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Edward F. Davis (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986), known professionally as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened in "Jaws"): it is either said that ...

Ahmad Jamal Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones, July 2, 1930) is an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and educator. For six decades, he has been one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz. Biography Early life Jamal was born Fr ...

, and as a member of the group

Sphere A sphere () is a Geometry, geometrical object that is a solid geometry, three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the Locus (mathematics), set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three ...

. During the 1970s and 1980s he was a member of the New York Jazz Quartet.

Biography

Benjamin Alexander Riley Jr. was born in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

, on July 17, 1933, and at the age of four moved with his family to New York City. "Riley performed with

Randy Weston Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious M ...

Sonny Stitt Edward Hammond Boatner Jr. (February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982), known professionally as Sonny Stitt, was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/ hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of hi ...

Junior Mance Julian Clifford Mance, Jr. (October 10, 1928 – January 17, 2021), known as Junior Mance, was an American jazz pianist and composer. Biography Early life (1928–1947) Mance was born in Evanston, Illinois. When he was five years old, Mance st ...

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

–

Johnny Griffin John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

(1960–1962),

Billy Taylor Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the ...

, and

Ray Bryant Raphael Homer "Ray" Bryant (December 24, 1931 – June 2, 2011) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Early life Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 24, 1931. His mother was an ordained minister who had tau ...

." He then spent 1964 to 1967 in

's quartet. After Monk, he played with

(intermittently between 1968 and 1975),

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded n ...

(1975–1977), Jim Hall (1981), and the bands the New York Jazz Quartet (1970s and 1980s) and

. He also played frequently with pianist

Abdullah Ibrahim Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934 and formerly known as Dollar Brand) is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cap ...

. Riley died of lung disease and complications of diabetes in West Islip, New York on November 18, 2017, aged 84

Discography

As leader

* ''Weaver of Dreams'' (Joken, 1996) – recorded in 1993 * ''Memories of T'' (Concord, 2006) * ''Grown Folks Music'' (Sunnyside, 2012)

As sideman

With Noah Baerman *''Patch Kit'' (CD Baby, 2006) with

With

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

*'' As Time Goes By'' (Timeless, 1986) *'' Cool Cat'' (Timeless, 1986

989 Year 989 (Roman numerals, CMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Emperor Basil II uses his contingent of 6,000 Varangians to he ...

With

Bill Barron William Barron (26 October 1917 – 2 January 2006) was an English sportsman, who played football in the higher leagues before the Second World War and, along with some football, first-class cricket afterwards. Sporting career William Barron ...

*'' Variations in Blue'' (

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

, 1983) *''

Live at Cobi's 2 ''Live at Cobi's 2'' is a live album by saxophonist Bill Barron which was recorded in 1985 and released posthumously on the SteepleChase label in 2006.

'' (SteepleChase, 1885

006 Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Alec T ...

*'' The Next Plateau'' (Muse, 1987

*'' Live at Cobi's'' (SteepleChase, 1988-89

005 ''005'' is a 1981 arcade game by Sega. They advertised it as the first of their RasterScan Convert-a-Game series, designed so that it could be changed into another game in minutes "at a substantial savings". It is one of the first examples of a ...

With

Kenny Barron Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Biography Born in Philadel ...

*'' Innocence'' (Wolf, 1978) *'' Golden Lotus'' (Muse, 1980 982 *'' Imo Live'' (Whynot, 1982) *'' Green Chimneys'' (Criss Cross Jazz, 1983) *'' The Only One'' (Reservoir, 1990) *''

Lemuria-Seascape ''Lemuria-Seascape'' is an album by pianist Kenny Barron which was recorded in early 1991 and released on the Candid label.Fitzgerald, MKenny Barron Discography accessed January 23, 2019 Reception In his review on AllMusic, Ron Wynn stated "T ...

'' (Candid, 1991) *''

Live at Bradley's ''Live at Bradley's'' is a live album by pianist Kenny Barron recorded in New York in 1996 and first released on the French EmArcy label in Europe in 2001 then on Sunnyside Records in the US in 2002. Reception In her review on Allmusic, Judith ...

'' (EmArcy, 1996

001 001, O01, or OO1 may refer to: *1 (number), a number, a numeral *001, fictional British agent, see 00 Agent *001, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian fire brigade (until 1986) *AM-RB 001, the code-name for the Aston Martin Valkyrie ...

*''

Live at Bradley's II ''Live at Bradley's II'' (subtitled ''The Perfect Set'') is a live album by pianist Kenny Barron recorded in New York in 1996 and first released on the French Universal label in 2005 then on Sunnyside Records in the United States. Reception In ...

'' (Sunnyside, 1996 002 *''

Minor Blues ''Minor Blues'' is an album by pianist Kenny Barron recorded in New York in 2009 and released on the Japanese Venus label.Fitzgerald, MKenny Barron Discography accessed January 24, 2019 Reception In the review on AllMusic, Ken Dryden noted "Th ...

'' (Venus, 2009) With

Gary Bartz Gary Bartz (born September 26, 1940) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has won two Grammy Awards. Biography Bartz studied at the Juilliard School. In the early 1960s, he performed with Eric Dolphy and McCoy Tyner in Charles Mingus' Jazz Works ...

*'' Episode One: Children of Harlem'' (Challenge, 1994) With Ted Brown *'' In Good Company'' (Criss Cross, 1985) with

Jimmy Raney James Elbert Raney (August 20, 1927 – May 10, 1995) was an American jazz guitarist, born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, known for his work from 1951 to 1952 and then from 1953 to 1954 with the Red Norvo trio (replacing Tal Farlow) an ...

With

*'' Live at Basin Street East'' (Sue, 1964) *'' Cold Turkey'' (Sue, 1964) With

*''

Listen to the Dawn ''Listen to the Dawn'' is an album by guitarist Kenny Burrell recorded in late 1980 and released on the Muse label in 1983.983 *'' Groovin' High'' (Muse, 1981 984 With

* '' Yellow & Green'' (CTI, 1976) * ''

Piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the s ...

'' (Milestone, 1977) * '' Peg Leg'' (Milestone, 1978) * '' Pick 'Em'' (Milestone, 1978

980 Year 980 ( CMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Peace is concluded between Emperor Otto II (the Red) and King Lothair III (or Lothair IV) a ...

With

* '' A Monastic Trio'' (1968) * '' Ptah, the El Daoud'' (1970) * '' World Galaxy'' (1972) * '' Lord of Lords'' (1972) * ''

Live at the Berkeley Community Theater 1972 ''Live at the Berkeley Community Theater 1972'' is a live album by Alice Coltrane. It was recorded at the Berkeley Community Theater in Berkeley, California, in July 1972, and was released as a double album in 2019 by the German label BCT. On the ...

'' (BCT, 1972 019 With

* ''

Afro-Jaws ''Afro-Jaws'' is an album by saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis recorded in 1960 and released on the Riverside label.Ricky Ford Ricky Ford (born March 4, 1954) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Ford was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States,) and studied at the New England Conservatory. Ricky Ford AllMusic In 1974, he recorded with Gunther Schulle ...

* ''

Manhattan Blues ''Manhattan Blues'' is an album by saxophonist Ricky Ford. Recording and music ''Manhattan Blues'' was recorded on March 4, 1989, in New York City.

'' (Candid, 1989) * ''

Ebony Rhapsody ''Ebony Rhapsody'' is an album by saxophonist Ricky Ford.Candid Records Cata ...

'' (Candid, 1990) * ''

American-African Blues ''American-African Blues'' is an album by saxophonist Ricky Ford. Recording and music ''American-African Blues'' was recorded in concert at Birdland (New York jazz club), Birdland, New York City, on September 16, 1991.Ford, Ricky ''American-Afri ...

'' (Candid, 1991) With

Red Garland William McKinley "Red" Garland Jr. (May 13, 1923 – April 23, 1984) was an American modern jazz pianist. Known for his work as a bandleader and during the 1950s with Miles Davis, Garland helped popularize the block chord style of playing in jaz ...

* '' Stepping Out'' (Galaxy, 1978) * ''

So Long Blues ''So Long Blues'' is an album by pianist Red Garland which was recorded in 1979 and released on the Galaxy label in 1984.981 * '' Strike Up the Band'' (Galaxy, 1979 981 With

Benny Golson Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/ hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before launc ...

* '' Time Speaks'' (Baystate, 1983) with

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives f ...

and

Woody Shaw Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the most important and influential jazz trumpet ...

With

Bennie Green Bennie Green (April 16, 1923 – March 23, 1977) was an American jazz trombonist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Green worked in the orchestras of Earl Hines and Charlie Ventura, and recorded as bandleader through the 1950s and ...

* '' Glidin' Along'' (1961) With

* '' Battle Stations'' (Prestige, 1960) – with

* ''

Johnny Griffin’s Studio Jazz Party ''Johnny Griffin's Studio Jazz Party'' is an album by jazz saxophonist Johnny Griffin which was recorded in 1960 and released on the Riverside label.Tough Tenors ''Tough Tenors'' is an album by saxophonists Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis recorded in 1960 and released on the Jazzland label.Griff & Lock'' (Jazzland, 1960) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * ''

The First Set ''The First Set'' is a live album by saxophonists Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Johnny Griffin recorded at Minton's Playhouse in 1961 and released on the Prestige label.The Tenor Scene ''The Tenor Scene'' (also released as ''The Breakfast Show'') is a live album by saxophonists Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Johnny Griffin recorded at Minton's Playhouse in 1961 and released on the Prestige label.The Late Show'' (Prestige, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * ''

The Midnight Show The Midnight Show was a Los Angeles-based sketch comedy group which performed monthly at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Founded in 2008, the show owed its notoriety not only to production of several viral and mature-themed internet videos ...

'' (Prestige, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * '' Lookin' at Monk!'' (Jazzland, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * ''

Change of Pace ''Change of Pace'' is an album by jazz saxophonist Johnny Griffin which was recorded in 1961 and released on the Riverside label.Blues Up & Down'' (Jazzland, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * '' White Gardenia'' (Riverside, 1961) * ''

The Kerry Dancers ''The Kerry Dancers'' (subtitled ''and Other Swinging Folk'') is the album which was recorded by jazz saxophonist Johnny Griffin during the late 1961 and early 1962 period, and it was subsequently released by the Riverside label.Tough Tenor Favorites'' (Jazzland, 1962) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis With Michael Franks * '' Tiger in the Rain'' With Andrew Hill * '' Lift Every Voice'' (Blue Note, 1969) * ''

Shades Sunglasses or sun glasses (informally called shades or sunnies; more names below) are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can so ...

'' (Soul Note, 1986) With

Hank Jones Henry Jones Jr. (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored ...

* '' Bop Redux'' (Muse, 1977) * The Great Jazz Trio, ''What's New'' ( Baybridge, 1998) With Sam Jones * '' Down Home'' (Riverside, 1962) With

* '' Junior Mance Trio at the Village Vanguard'' (Jazzland, 1961) With Ken McIntyre * ''

Year of the Iron Sheep ''Year of the Iron Sheep'' is an album by American jazz musician Ken McIntyre. Background ''Year of the Iron Sheep'' was Ken McIntyre's third album, and his first for United Artists Records."Special Merit Picks" (February 9, 1963). ''Billboard' ...

'' (United Artists, 1962) With

Jay McShann James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and ...

*''

Some Blues ''Some Blues'' is an album by jazz pianist Jay McShann recorded in 1990 and 1992 and released on the Chiaroscuro label in 1993.Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

* '' It's Monk's Time'' (1964) * ''

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

'' (1964) * ''

Live at the It Club ''Live at the It Club'' is a Thelonious Monk album released posthumously by Columbia Records. Recorded October 31 and November 1, 1964, at the "It" Club in Los Angeles, California, the album features Monk's quartet—with Charlie Rouse on teno ...

'' (1964) * '' Straight, No Chaser'' (1967) * '' Underground'' (1968) With

Freddie Redd Freddie Redd (May 29, 1928 – March 17, 2021) was an American hard-bop pianist and composer. He is best known for writing music to accompany '' The Connection'' (1959), a play by Jack Gelber. According to Peter Watrous, writing in ''The New Yo ...

*'' Lonely City'' (Uptown, 1985