- Ben Riley
Ben Riley (born
17 July 1933 ) is an Americanhard bop drummer who has worked withThelonious Monk ,Alice Coltrane ,Stan Getz ,Woody Herman ,Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis ,Ahmad Jamal , andKenny Barron , and was a member with Barron of Sphere.Early career
In
high school Riley played in the school band, and after graduation he joined the army, where he was a paratrooper, and also played with the army band. Upon leaving the army in 1954 he moved to New York, and in 1956 started playing jazz professionally. He played with such musicians asRandy Weston ,Mary Lou Williams , Sonny Rollins, Woody Herman, Stan Getz, Billy Taylor, andJohnny Griffin . What made his name, however, and helped direct his career to success, were four years spent playing, touring, and recording with the great pianist, Thelonious Monk.External links
* [http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Ben_Riley.html Ben Riley] — Drummerworld
* [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/iviews/briley.htm Interview with Ben Riley] — by Don Williams for "All About Jazz"
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