Biography
Herlin Riley embodies the modern jazz drummer through his command of driving post-bop propulsion and the buoyant second-line grooves native to New Orleans. He first gained widespread attention during the 1980s through membership in trumpeter Wynton Marsalis’s groups and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, earning acclaim on Grammy-nominated small-group sessions such as the 1988 release Majesty of the Blues and for his contributions to the 1997 recording Blood on the Fields. During the 2000s he began leading his own ensembles, documenting the activity on the 2005 album Cream of the Crescent and the 2016 album New Direction.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1957, Riley was raised in a household steeped in music and started drumming at the age of three. Although he concentrated on trumpet during high school, he returned to the drum set full-time in his junior year of college. Following graduation he spent 1984 to 1987 as a member of pianist Ahmad Jamal’s band and, throughout the remainder of the decade, worked with Harry Connick, Jr., Marcus Roberts, George Benson, and additional prominent artists.
Riley has remained a core member of Wynton Marsalis’s ensembles since 1988, performing on Majesty of the Blues (1988), Standard Time, Vol. 2: Intimacy Calling (1990), Blue Interlude (1991), Citi Movement (1992), and In This House, On This Morning (1993). He also maintained a long association with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, appearing regularly in concert and on the 1997 Pulitzer Prize-winning oratorio Blood on the Fields.
His first album as a leader, Watch What You’re Doing, appeared in 2000. Five years later Cream of the Crescent arrived, featuring fellow Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra colleagues Marsalis, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, and saxophonist Victor Goines. Additional sideman work during this period included appearances on Cassandra Wilson’s Silver Pony (2010), Cecile McLorin Salvant’s WomanChild (2013), and Craig Handy’s Craig Handy & 2nd Line Smith (2014).
Mack Avenue Records issued his third leader date, New Direction, in 2016; the recording highlighted Riley’s command of Afro-Cuban and Latin rhythms alongside post-bop and the historic jazz traditions of New Orleans. Perpetual Optimism followed in 2019, showcasing his working band with trumpeter Bruce Harris, altoist Godwin Louis, pianist Emmet Cohen, and bassist Russell Hall.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1957, Riley was raised in a household steeped in music and started drumming at the age of three. Although he concentrated on trumpet during high school, he returned to the drum set full-time in his junior year of college. Following graduation he spent 1984 to 1987 as a member of pianist Ahmad Jamal’s band and, throughout the remainder of the decade, worked with Harry Connick, Jr., Marcus Roberts, George Benson, and additional prominent artists.
Riley has remained a core member of Wynton Marsalis’s ensembles since 1988, performing on Majesty of the Blues (1988), Standard Time, Vol. 2: Intimacy Calling (1990), Blue Interlude (1991), Citi Movement (1992), and In This House, On This Morning (1993). He also maintained a long association with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, appearing regularly in concert and on the 1997 Pulitzer Prize-winning oratorio Blood on the Fields.
His first album as a leader, Watch What You’re Doing, appeared in 2000. Five years later Cream of the Crescent arrived, featuring fellow Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra colleagues Marsalis, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, and saxophonist Victor Goines. Additional sideman work during this period included appearances on Cassandra Wilson’s Silver Pony (2010), Cecile McLorin Salvant’s WomanChild (2013), and Craig Handy’s Craig Handy & 2nd Line Smith (2014).
Mack Avenue Records issued his third leader date, New Direction, in 2016; the recording highlighted Riley’s command of Afro-Cuban and Latin rhythms alongside post-bop and the historic jazz traditions of New Orleans. Perpetual Optimism followed in 2019, showcasing his working band with trumpeter Bruce Harris, altoist Godwin Louis, pianist Emmet Cohen, and bassist Russell Hall.
Albums
Singles
