John B. Riley
Encyclopedia
John Bernard Riley is an American jazz drummer, a music educator – at the collegiate and conservatory levels – and a music clinician. Riley has performed with Woody Herman
, Stan Getz
, Milt Jackson
, Miles Davis
, Dizzy Gillespie
, John Scofield
, Bob Mintzer
, Gary Peacock
, Mike Stern
, Joe Lovano
, Franck Amsallem
, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, John Patitucci
, and Bob Berg
.
) and a music teacher in the nearby Cranford Township Public Schools
.
While studying with Sicola, Riley gained control of the snare drum through work on the rudiments ("beats of the day"), reading
, and coordination — both in the classical and jazz idioms. Sicola trained John on a variety of traditional percussion instruments, including xylophone
, timpani
, and drum kit
. At age twelve, Riley began playing in rock bands and heard his first jazz recordings: (i) the soundtrack to The Gene Krupa Story
and (ii) Max Roach
's Conversation. Two years later, he played his first professional gig, which he obtained through an audition played over the telephone. Riley began studying with Joe Morello
in 1971 after meeting him at a drum symposium.
Riley graduated from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
in 1971 and enrolled at the University of North Texas
Sicola has since retired and is now is a Deacon at Our Lady of the Mount Roman Catholic Church in Warren, NJ.
, where he was introduced to a larger world of music and percussion. While there, he played, toured, and recorded Lab 76 with the One O'Clock Lab Band
. Lab 76 was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band."
in September 1976 and has been working as a jazz artist ever since. He is currently the drummer in the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
, Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
, Milt Jackson
Milt Jackson
Milton "Bags" Jackson was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms...
, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, John Scofield
John Scofield
John Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...
, Bob Mintzer
Bob Mintzer
Bob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
, Gary Peacock
Gary Peacock
Gary Peacock is an American jazz double-bassist.-Biography:After military service in Germany, in the early sixties he worked on the west coast with Barney Kessel, Bud Shank, Paul Bley and Art Pepper, then moved to New York. He worked there with Bley, the Bill Evans trio , and Albert Ayler's trio...
, Mike Stern
Mike Stern
Mike Stern is an American jazz guitarist. After playing for a few years with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he landed a gig with Billy Cobham and then broke through with Miles Davis' comeback band from 1981 to 1983, and again in 1985. Since then, he launched a solo career, releasing more than a dozen albums...
, Joe Lovano
Joe Lovano
Joseph Salvatore "Joe" Lovano is a post bop jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist, and drummer. Since the late 1980s, Lovano has been one of the world's premiere tenor saxophone players, earning a Grammy award and several nods on Down Beat magazine's critics' and readers' polls...
, Franck Amsallem
Franck Amsallem
Franck Amsallem is a French jazz pianist, composer and also singer. He was born in 1961 in Oran, then in French Algeria, but grew up in Nice, France.He started learning the piano at age 7 and also took up the classical saxophone at the local conservatory...
, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, John Patitucci
John Patitucci
John Patitucci is an American Grammy-winning jazz double bass and jazz fusion electric bass player.-Biography:Patitucci is of Italian descent and was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he began playing the electric bass at age ten, composing and performing at age 12, as well as the acoustic bass at...
, and Bob Berg
Bob Berg
Bob Berg was a jazz saxophonist originally from Brooklyn, New York City. He started his musical education at the age of six when he began studying classical piano. He began playing the saxophone at the age of thirteen. Bob Berg was a Juilliard graduate influenced heavily by the late 1964–67 period...
.
Early education
Riley began playing drums at age eight, after receiving a snare drum as a gift. In the biographies provided to the media, Riley acknowledges the early support of his parents, John and Mary Ann. While attending fourth grade in Scotch Plains, NJ, Riley began studying percussion privately with Thomas Sicola, Jr. (b. Mar. 1944), who, at that time, was a recent graduate of the New York College of Music (bachelor of musicBachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...
) and a music teacher in the nearby Cranford Township Public Schools
Cranford Township Public Schools
The Cranford Township Public Schools is a comprehensive public school system serving students in kindergarten through 12th grade in Cranford Township in Union County, New Jersey, United States...
.
While studying with Sicola, Riley gained control of the snare drum through work on the rudiments ("beats of the day"), reading
Sight reading
Sight-reading is the reading and performing of a piece of written music, specifically when the performer has not seen it before. Sight-singing is often used to describe a singer who is sight-reading.-Sight-reading:...
, and coordination — both in the classical and jazz idioms. Sicola trained John on a variety of traditional percussion instruments, including xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, and drum kit
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. At age twelve, Riley began playing in rock bands and heard his first jazz recordings: (i) the soundtrack to The Gene Krupa Story
The Gene Krupa Story
The Gene Krupa Story is a 1959 biopic of American drummer and bandleader Gene Krupa. The conflict in the film centers around Krupa's rise to success and his corresponding use of marijuana.-Plot synopsis:...
and (ii) Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
's Conversation. Two years later, he played his first professional gig, which he obtained through an audition played over the telephone. Riley began studying with Joe Morello
Joe Morello
Joseph Albert Morello was a jazz drummer best known for his 12½-year stint with The Dave Brubeck Quartet. He was frequently noted for playing in the unusual time signatures employed by that group in such pieces as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo à la Turk"...
in 1971 after meeting him at a drum symposium.
Riley graduated from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school in Union County, New Jersey, which serves students in Grades 9 through 12 from the Township of Scotch Plains and the Borough of Fanwood, operating as part of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School...
in 1971 and enrolled at the University of North Texas
University of North Texas College of Music
The University of North Texas College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school with the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, and the oldest in the world offering a degree in jazz studies...
Sicola has since retired and is now is a Deacon at Our Lady of the Mount Roman Catholic Church in Warren, NJ.
College
Riley studied music at the University of North Texas College of MusicUniversity of North Texas College of Music
The University of North Texas College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school with the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, and the oldest in the world offering a degree in jazz studies...
, where he was introduced to a larger world of music and percussion. While there, he played, toured, and recorded Lab 76 with the One O'Clock Lab Band
One O'Clock Lab Band
The One O’Clock Lab Band for years has been the premier ensemble of the Jazz Studies Division at the University of North Texas College of Music in Denton. The band has performed and toured abroad in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway,...
. Lab 76 was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band."
New York
Riley moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in September 1976 and has been working as a jazz artist ever since. He is currently the drummer in the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.
Discography
- University of North TexasOne O'Clock Lab BandThe One O’Clock Lab Band for years has been the premier ensemble of the Jazz Studies Division at the University of North Texas College of Music in Denton. The band has performed and toured abroad in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway,...
: Lab 76, UNT Jazz Records, 1976 † - Woody HermanWoody HermanWoodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
: Chick, Donald, Walter & Woodrow, Century Records, 1978 † - Woody HermanWoody HermanWoodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
: The Woody Herman Orchestra, JazzDoor Records, 1978 - Harris Simon Group: Swish, EastWind Records, 1980
- Mike MethenyMike MethenyMike Metheny is an American jazz flugelhornist and music journalist. He is perhaps best known as the brother of jazz guitarist and composer Pat Metheny. Metheny studied music education at the University of Missouri and Northeast Missouri State University, then played trumpet in the Army Field Band...
: Blue Jay Sessions, Headfirst Records, 1981 - Richard Boukas: Embarcadero, Jazz Essence Records, 1983
- Richard Lacona: Painter of Dreams, Morningside Records, 1984
- Mike Carubia: Renaissance, KamaDisc Records, 1985
- Greg Hyslop: Manhattan Date, Slope Records, 1986
- Mark Soskin: Overjoyed, JazzCity Records, 1987
- Bob MintzerBob MintzerBob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
: Techno Pop, JazzDoor Records, 1987 - Bob MintzerBob MintzerBob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
: Spectrum, DMP Records, 1987 † - Red RodneyRed RodneyRobert Roland Chudnick , who performed by the stage name Red Rodney, was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
Quintet: Red Snapper and One For Bird, Steeple Chase Records, 1988 - Mike MethenyMike MethenyMike Metheny is an American jazz flugelhornist and music journalist. He is perhaps best known as the brother of jazz guitarist and composer Pat Metheny. Metheny studied music education at the University of Missouri and Northeast Missouri State University, then played trumpet in the Army Field Band...
: Kaleidoscope, MCA RecordsMCA RecordsMCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
, 1988 - Haze Greenfield: Five for the City, Owl Time Line Records, 1989
- John Hart: One Down, Blue NoteBlue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
, 1990 - Kenny WernerKenny WernerKenny Werner is an American jazz pianist.-Biography:Kenny Werner is a world-class pianist and composer. His prolific output of compositions, recordings and publications continue to impact audiences around the world....
: Uncovered Heart, Sunnyside RecordsSunnyside RecordsSunnyside Records is an American jazz record label.Sunnyside was founded in 1982 by Francois Zalacain and Christine Berthet. Its early releases consisted primarily of piano solo material and ensembles without drums, but in later years has broadened its selection of material.-Artists who have...
, 1990 - John ScofieldJohn ScofieldJohn Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...
: Live Three Ways, Blue NoteBlue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
Video, 1990 - Bob MintzerBob MintzerBob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
: Art of the Big Band, DMP Records, 1991 † - Miles DavisMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
and Quincy JonesQuincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
: Miles and Quincy Live at Montreux, Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, 1991 † - Bob MintzerBob MintzerBob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
: Departure, DMP Records, 1993 - Bruce Williamson: Big City Magic, Timeless RecordsTimeless RecordsTimeless Records is a jazz record label from The Netherlands.Timeless was founded in Wageningen in 1975 by Wim Wigt. It has specialized in bebop, though it also did a subseries of important releases of Dixieland and swing recordings. As of ca...
, 1993 - Bob MintzerBob MintzerBob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
: Only in New York, DMP Records, 1994 † - John Serry: Enchantress, Telarc, 1995
- DMP Big Band: Carved in Stone, DMP Records, 1995
- Bob MintzerBob MintzerBob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
: The First Decade, DMP Records, 1995 - Vince MendozaVince MendozaVince Mendoza is a music arranger and composer.Mendoza was born in Connecticut and studied guitar as a child, influenced by classical music, soul and jazz. He then took up the trumpet, which he continued to play throughout his time at Ohio State University, where he played in the Jazz Ensemble and...
and the WDR Big Band: Flame, Carlton Records, 1996 - Bob MintzerBob MintzerBob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
: Big Band Trane, DMP Records, 1996 † - Sigurdur Flosason: Sounds From Afar, Jazzis Records, 1996
- Shigeko Suzuki: Brisa, BMG Records, 1996
- Joseph Allessi: New York Legends, Cala Records, 1996
- Bobby Paunetto: Composer in Public, RSVP Jazz Records, 1996 †
- Claudio Angeleri: Jazz Files, CDPM-Lion Records, 1996
- Lalo Schifrin: Gillespiana, Aleph Records, 1996 †
- DMP Big Band: Salutes Duke Ellington, DMP Records, 1997
- Hubert Nuss: The Shimmering Colours of Stained Glass, GreenHouse Records, 1997
- Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: Lickety Split, New World RecordsNew World RecordsNew World Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in American music. The label was established in 1975 through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to produce a 100 disc anthology covering 200 years of American music....
, 1997 † - Bob MintzerBob MintzerBob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
: Latin From Manhattan, DMP Records, 1998 - Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: Thad Jones Legacy, New World RecordsNew World RecordsNew World Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in American music. The label was established in 1975 through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to produce a 100 disc anthology covering 200 years of American music....
, 1999 - George Gruntz: Merryteria, TCB Records, 1999
- George Gruntz: Liebermann Live in Berlin, TCB Records, 1999
- Bob MintzerBob MintzerBob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
: Homage to Basie, DMP Records, 2000 ‡ - Bobby Paunetto: Reconstituted, RSVP Records, 2000
- George GruntzGeorge GruntzGeorge Gruntz is a Swiss jazz pianist, organist, harpsichordist, keyboardist and composer most noteworthy for his work with artists such as Phil Woods, Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Baker, Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin and Mel Lewis.From 1972 to 1994 he served as artistic director for...
: Expo Triangle, MGB Records, 2000 - Michael DavisMichael Davis (trombonist)Michael Davis is a jazz trombonist from San Jose, California.He studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.Davis has worked with famous singers and bands, for example The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Michael Jackson. Nowadays he gives music clinics all over the world and writes...
: Brass Nation, Hip-Bone Music, 2000 - Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: Can I Persuade You? Planet Arts Recordings 2001 †
- Hubert Nuss: The Underwater Poet Greenhouse Music 2002
- Eijiro Nakagawa and Jim PughJames E. PughJames Edward Pugh is a trombonist, composer, and educator. He is noted as the lead trombonist with Woody Herman's Thundering Herd and Chick Corea's Return to Forever Band . For 25 years, he worked as a freelance trombonist in New York City...
: Legend and Lion, Superkids Inc, 2003 - Ludwig Nuss: Ups and Downs, Mons, 2003
- Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: The Way, Planet Arts Records, 2004 ‡
- Bob MintzerBob MintzerBob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
Big Band: Live at MCG, MCG Jazz, 2004 - Hubert Nuss: Feed the Birds, Pirouet, 2005
- Eijiro Nakagawa and Jim PughJames E. PughJames Edward Pugh is a trombonist, composer, and educator. He is noted as the lead trombonist with Woody Herman's Thundering Herd and Chick Corea's Return to Forever Band . For 25 years, he worked as a freelance trombonist in New York City...
: E2'n J2, TNC Records, 2005 - DVD - John ScofieldJohn ScofieldJohn Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...
: Live Three Ways, Blue NoteBlue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
, 2005 - DVD - David Liebman: Teaches and Plays, Jamey AebersoldJamey AebersoldJamey Aebersold is an American jazz saxophonist and music educator. His "Play-A-Long" series of instructional book and CD collections, using the chord-scale system, the first of which was released in 1967, are an internationally renowned resource for jazz education...
Jazz, 2005 - Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: Up From The Skies, Planet Arts Records, 2006 †
- Bob MintzerBob MintzerBob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
Big Band: Old School, New Lessons, MCG Jazz, 2006 - Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: Monday Night Live At The Village Vanguard, Planet Arts Records, 2008 ‡
- Todd CoolmanTodd CoolmanTodd Coolman is a jazz bassist residing near New York City.Since moving to New York in 1978, he has performed with Horace Silver, Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Lionel Hampton and Benny Goodman. Coolman recently recorded “Lexicon”...
: Perfect Strangers, ArtistShareArtistShareArtistShare is a crowdfunding website and labelWharton Innovation and Entrepreneurship Consulted on 10/12/2011 for musicians and other creative artists which allows them to fund their projects utilizing a "fan-funding" model to allow the general public to directly finance, watch the creative...
(2008) - Randy SandkeRandy SandkeRandy Sandke is a jazz trumpeter and guitarist.In an interview with Larry Kart he said: "I got into jazz kind of chronologically, beginning with Bix and Louis, then Dizzy, Clifford Brown, Miles, and Freddie Hubbard. I also studied at Roosevelt University with Renold Schilke, a legendary teacher...
: Jazz for Juniors, Arbors RecordsArbors RecordsArbors Records is an independent American jazz record label based in Clearwater, Florida. It was founded by the family team of Mat and Rachel Domber in 1989, initially devoted to the recordings of their friend Rick Fay.-History:...
, 2009 - Luis BonillaLuis BonillaLuis Bonilla is an American Afro-Cuban jazz and Latin jazz trombonist born in Los Angeles, California of Costa Rican descent. He is a Grammy Award- winning performer, composer, and Music Professor, about whom the New York Times has described as the artist who "explodes the usual musical structures...
: I Talking Now, Planet Arts Recordings, 2009 - Steve Hobbs: Vibes, Straight Up, Challenge RecordsChallenge Records (1994)A third label Challenge Records International was founded in the Netherlands in 1994 dedicated to recordings of classical music and jazz. On of its subsidiary Retrieval is dedicated to reissues of vintage jazz now out of copyright in Europe, many transferred by remastering engineer John R.T...
(2009) - John Hyde Quartet: John Hyde Quartet, Death Defying Records (2010)
- Nicolas Folmer: Off the Beaten Tracks Vol 1, PID (2010)
- Daniel Jamieson's Danjam Orchestra: Sudden Appearance, OA2 RecordsOrigin recordsOrigin Records is a jazz record label based in Seattle, Washington, founded in 1997. Originally started by Seattle drummer John Bishop, the label was conceived to help with the design, production, and distribution of jazz records made by his own groups as well as artists he's worked with over...
(2010)
- † Grammy Nomination (13 albums)
- ‡ Grammy Award (3 albums)
Academic positions
- Faculty, Manhattan School of MusicManhattan School of MusicThe Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
since 1986 - Faculty, SUNYState University of New YorkThe State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
Purchase since 1997 - Artist in residenceArtist in residenceArtist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow visiting artists to stay and work so that they may apply singular focus to their art practice....
, Amsterdam Conservatory
Publications
- The Jazz Drummer's Workshop, Modern DrummerModern DrummerModern Drummer is a monthly publication targeting the interests of on drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public...
(January 1, 2005) ISBN 063409114X - The Art of Bop Drumming, Alfred PublishingAlfred PublishingAlfred Music Publishing is a family-owned and operated music publishing company, founded in 1922. Headquartered in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, it is the largest educational music publisher in the world.- Profile :...
(July 11, 1994) ISBN 089898890X - Beyond Bop Drumming, Alfred PublishingAlfred PublishingAlfred Music Publishing is a family-owned and operated music publishing company, founded in 1922. Headquartered in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, it is the largest educational music publisher in the world.- Profile :...
(March 17, 1997) ISBN 1576236099 - The Master Drummer (DVD), Alfred PublishingAlfred PublishingAlfred Music Publishing is a family-owned and operated music publishing company, founded in 1922. Headquartered in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, it is the largest educational music publisher in the world.- Profile :...
(April 1, 2009) - Brazilian Rhythms for Drumset, (Book & CD), by Duduka da Fonseca and John Riley, Alfred PublishingAlfred PublishingAlfred Music Publishing is a family-owned and operated music publishing company, founded in 1922. Headquartered in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, it is the largest educational music publisher in the world.- Profile :...
ISBN 0769209874
External links
- John Riley official website
- Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians: John Riley
- Modern Drummer Magazine article (from the drop-down menu, search "Riley")