Ben Riley's Monk Legacy Septet

Ben Riley July 17 1933 – November 18 2017 Was An American Jazz Drummer Known For His Work With Thelonious Monk As Well As Alice Coltrane Stan Getz Woody Herman Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Ahmad Jamal Kenny Barron And As Member Of The Group Sphere. During The 1970s He Was A Member Of The New York Jazz Quartet.
Upon Leaving The Army In 1954 He Moved To New York And In 1956 Started Playing Jazz Professionally. He Played With Such Musicians As Randy Weston Mary Lou Williams Sonny Rollins Woody Herman Stan Getz Billy Taylor And Johnny Griffin. What Made His Name However Were The Four Years Spent Playing Touring And Recording With The Pianist Thelonious Monk. Ben Riley Played In Thelonious Monk's Quartet For Nearly 5 Years And Was Continuously Inspired By Monk The Composer And Performer. Monk Had His Own Personal Harmonic And Rhythmic Language Which Coupled With His Unorthodox Approach To The Piano-The Way He Coaxed Sound From The Keys Of The Piano-Made His Pianist's Voice In The Rhythm Section Totally Unique. Riley's No-Piano Monk Legacy Septet Lets Varying Combinations Of Horns And Guitar Explore Monk's Accompaniment Role Using Monk's Own Unique Palette Of Harmonies And Rhythms. Ben Can Once Again React To The Familiar Monk Language And Accents Now Being Spoken By Alto Or Soprano Sax Trumpet Tenor Sax Baritone Sax And Guitar. The Combination Of These Different Instrumental Timbres Without Piano Creates A Refreshing New Canvas Of Sound For Exploring Monk's Music. Sickler's Arrangements Dissect And Re-Construct Monk's Comping And Solos So The Septet's Voices Can Echo Monk's Original Thoughts And Phrases Inspiring Riley's Responses. read less