An excellent drummer whose strong support has helped a variety of advanced bop sessions,
Ben Riley is best known for his association with
Thelonious Monk's Quartet even though he was only a member for three years. Prior to playing with
Monk,
Riley performed with many combos, including those led by
Randy Weston,
Sonny Stitt,
Stan Getz,
Junior Mance,
Kenny Burrell,
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis-
Johnny Griffin (1960-1962),
Ahmad Jamal,
Billy Taylor, and
Ray Bryant. His well-documented stint with
Monk (1964-1967) was followed by associations with
Alice Coltrane (on and off during 1968-1975), the New York Quartet (throughout the 1970s and '80s),
Ron Carter (1975-1977),
Jim Hall (1981), and the group
Sphere. In addition,
Riley has toured extensively with
Abdullah Ibrahim. ~ Scott Yanow