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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

drummer known for his work with

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

, as well as Alice Coltrane,

Stan Getz Stan Getz (born Stanley Gayetski; 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 wis ...

, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis,

Ahmad Jamal Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones; July 2, 1930 – April 16, 2023) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator. For six decades, he was one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz. He was a NEA Jazz Ma ...

, and as a member of the group

Sphere A sphere (from Ancient Greek, Greek , ) is a surface (mathematics), surface analogous to the circle, a curve. In solid geometry, 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 (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

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

Sonny Stitt Sonny Stitt (born Edward Hammond Boatner Jr.; February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982) 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 his era, recording over ...

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 Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...

, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis–

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, and Ray Bryant. He then spent 1964 to 1967 in

's quartet. After Monk, he played with Alice Coltrane (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 Cello, cellist who has reco ...

(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), previously 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

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With Bill Barron *'' Variations in Blue'' (

Muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

, 1983) *'' Live at Cobi's 2'' (SteepleChase, 1885

006 Alec Trevelyan is a fictional character who is the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye,'' portrayed by actor Sean Bean. Bean's likeness was also used as the model for Alec Trevelyan in the 1997 video game '' GoldenEye 007' ...

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

*'' Live at Cobi's'' (SteepleChase, 1988-89 005 With

Kenny Barron Kenneth Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist and composer 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. Early life ...

*'' 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'' (Candid, 1991) *'' Live at Bradley's'' (EmArcy, 1996 001 *'' Live at Bradley's II'' (Sunnyside, 1996

002 002, 0O2, O02, OO2, or 002 may refer to: Airports *0O2, Baker Airport *O02, Nervino Airport Astronomy *1996 OO2, the minor planet 7499 L'Aquila *1990 OO2, the asteroid 9175 Graun Fiction *002, fictional British 00 Agent *''002 Operazione Luna'' ...

*''

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

'' (Venus, 2009) With Gary Bartz *'' 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) a ...

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

*'' Listen to the Dawn'' (Muse, 1980 983 *'' Groovin' High'' (Muse, 1981 984 With

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

Piccolo The piccolo ( ; ) is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as the ...

'' (Milestone, 1977) * ''

Peg Leg A peg leg is a prosthesis, or artificial limb, fitted to the remaining stump of a human leg, especially a wooden one fitted at the knee. Its use dates to antiquity. History By the late 19th century, prosthetics vendors would offer peg legs as c ...

'' (Milestone, 1978) * '' Pick 'Em'' (Milestone, 1978

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 ...

With Alice Coltrane * '' A Monastic Trio'' (1968) * '' Ptah, the El Daoud'' (1970) * '' World Galaxy'' (1972) * '' Lord of Lords'' (1972) * '' Live at the Berkeley Community Theater 1972'' (BCT, 1972 019 With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * '' Afro-Jaws'' (Riverside, 1960) With Ricky Ford * '' Manhattan Blues'' (Candid, 1989) * '' Ebony Rhapsody'' (Candid, 1990) * '' American-African Blues'' (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 jazz ...

* '' Stepping Out'' (Galaxy, 1978) * '' So Long Blues'' (Galaxy, 1979 981 * '' Strike Up the Band'' (Galaxy, 1979 981 With

Benny Golson Benny Golson (January 25, 1929 – September 21, 2024) was an American bebop and 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 p ...

* '' 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 fo ...

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 20th century's most important and influentia ...

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 Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * '' Johnny Griffin’s Studio Jazz Party'' (Riverside, 1960) * '' Tough Tenors'' (Jazzland, 1960) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * '' Griff & Lock'' (Jazzland, 1960) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * '' The First Set'' (Prestige, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * '' The Tenor Scene'' (Prestige, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * '' The Late Show'' (Prestige, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * '' The Midnight Show'' (Prestige, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * '' Lookin' at Monk!'' (Jazzland, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * '' Change of Pace'' (Riverside, 1961) * '' Blues Up & Down'' (Jazzland, 1961) – with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis * '' White Gardenia'' (Riverside, 1961) * '' The Kerry Dancers'' (Riverside, 1961–62) * '' 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'' (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 have described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts h ...

* '' 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'' (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 B ...

*'' Some Blues'' (Chiaroscuro, 1993) With

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

Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

'' (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 ten ...

'' (1964) * '' Straight, No Chaser'' (1967) * '' Underground'' (1968) With Mark Murphy * '' One for Junior'' (1991) With Freddie Redd *'' Lonely City'' (Uptown, 1985

With

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American retired jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded over sixt ...

* '' The Bridge'' (RCA Victor, 1962) * ''

What's New? "What's New?" is a 1939 popular song composed by Bob Haggart, with lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was originally an instrumental tune titled "I'm Free" by Haggart in 1938, when Haggart was a member of Bob Crosby and His Orchestra. The tune was writ ...

'' (RCA Victor, 1962) With Dan Rose * ''Fountains'' (Midlantic Records, 2002) With Charlie Rouse * '' Moment's Notice'' (Storyville/Jazzcraft, 1978) With Jack Sheldon *'' Playing for Change'' (Uptown, 1986 997 With

*'' Four in One'' (Elektra/Musician, 1982) *''

Flight Path In the United States, airways or air routes are defined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in two ways: "VOR Federal airways and Low/Medium Frequency (L/MF) (Colored) Federal airways" These are designated routes which aeroplanes f ...

'' (Elektra/Musician, 1983) *'' Sphere On Tour'' (Red, 1985) *'' Pumpkin's Delight'' (Red, 1986 993 *'' Four for All'' (Verve, 1987) * '' Bird Songs'' (1988) * ''

'' (1998) With

Jeremy Steig Jeremy Steig (September 23, 1942 – April 13, 2016)Peter Keepnews, "Jeremy ...

*'' Flute Fever'' (Columbia, 1964) With Horace Tapscott * '' Dissent or Descent'' (Nimbus West, 1984 998 With Roseanna Vitro * '' Listen Here'' (Texas Rose, 1984) With Larry Willis *'' A Tribute to Someone'' (AudioQuest, 1994)

References

External links

* *
Ben Riley
interview at ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Ben 1933 births 2017 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians African-American jazz musicians American jazz drummers Hard bop drummers Thelonious Monk New York Jazz Quartet members Drummers from New York (state) Sphere (American band) members Sunnyside Records artists American male drummers Drummers from Georgia (U.S. state)