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Ben Riley

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Ben Riley was an American jazz drummer, best known for his work with Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk. He was born in 1933 in Savannah, Georgia, and moved with his family to New York at the age of four. As an accompanist he played with a long list of musicians: Randy Weston, Sonny Stitt, Stan Getz, Junior Mance, Kenny Burrell, Ahmad Jamal, Billy Taylor and Ray Bryant. From 1960 to 1962 he played with the duo of Eddie Lockjaw Davis and Johnny Griffin.

Music and breakthrough

From 1964 to 1967 he was in the quartet of Thelonious Monk, the position to which he owes his name. He then worked with Alice Coltrane, with interruptions between 1968 and 1975, with Ron Carter from 1975 to 1977 and in 1981 with Jim Hall. He was also a member of the group Sphere and played in the New York Jazz Quartet. Albums later appeared under his own name or in group settings, such as Listen to the Dawn and Time Speaks in 1983, Weaver of Dreams in 1996 and Blue Moon in 2004. He died in 2017 in West Islip, New York.

Influence

Riley was a drummer who played above all in the service of others, and so stood at the side of two of the greatest names in modern jazz. Anyone who listens to Monk in the 1960s hears in his playing how a drummer gives an idiosyncratic pianist room and yet keeps watch over the pulse.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a recording by the Thelonious Monk quartet from 1964 to 1967. Notice how the drums carry the rhythm while Monk places accents in unexpected spots.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Categories: Artists