Barry Guy: Over the last few years the improvised music community has witnessed the passing of so many important players. Now another one has sadly left us – Howard Riley. Countless years ago this wonderful creative pianist gave me the chance to research and implement an open format where the “classical” voices of piano with bass and percussion could communicate quite freely and spontaneously.
Howard composed many pieces for our trio and over time generated a language and philosophy that became more open and adventurous whilst always retaining his roots in the classical jazz methodology. My lifelong love of playing bass in a piano trio was definitely fostered by Howard. Our first recording, with Jon Hiseman on percussion, in an edition of 99 (!) LPs entitled “Discussions”, already proposed an interesting mix of tight compositional procedures and open playing. Later Alan Jackson occupied the percussion chair with the music consolidating further this approach. The big change came when Tony Oxley took over percussion duties, with the compositional / structural side of the music becoming increasingly lean, and free improvisational settings being the norm.
Further to this, Howard gradually progressed to solo playing, establishing his keyboard art as something very individual and becoming a major voice in improvised music without totally relinquishing his roots.
His writing also extended to pieces for the London Jazz Composers Orchestra and offered colourful, thoughtful scores contrasting my own , sometimes complex compositions. Howard understood the idea of musical architecture that promoted disciplined realisations along with creating a platform for spontaneous improvisation.
Howard was always an astute observer of the musical personalities he worked with, and even as his Parkinson’s disease slowly curtailed his playing, he possessed the spirit of generosity for his fellow colleagues and created exciting musical scenarios even under the most trying circumstances.
We shall miss him very much.
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Larry Stabbins: I first met Howard playing on a Company-style week long festival in Berlin and after doing lots of playing together, Howard recommended me to Tony Oxley (it’s a mark of Tony’s respect for him that Tony booked me for the Camden Jazz Festival without hearing me play).
That really changed things for me and I played with him for many years with Oxley’s bands, in the LJCO, and later as a quartet with Tony Wren and Mark Sanders.. We taught together at Barry Summer School and on occasion shared rooms on tour.
He was hugely interested in and encouraging to all the younger ” up and coming” players and seemed to really enjoy his teaching and the contact that gave him with the younger musicians.
He was very generous with his praise, rarely had a bad word to say about anyone, had a lovely dry sense of humour and an unflappably cheerful, optimistic outlook on life right to the end
When I picture him it’s always with that wonderfully warm, cheerful smile of his.
I spoke to him just before he moved into the care home and when I said how pleased I was to hear that he was still practising every day (probably most of the day as he always did ) he said “Well that’s what I’ve always done. All I do. All I’ve ever done is make music.”
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Iain Ballamy: Howard Riley – Eat, sleep, Monk, repeat….
In 2002 I received a message quite out of the blue from a man I had never met and knew very little about – Howard Riley!
He’d read a jazz magazine interview where I’d been ruminating on various aspects of the jazz “spectrum”. I reflected on the divisions in jazz at the time between “free” improvisers and “so called” mainstream players who think they are from different planets!
I tried to communicate a wider aspiration that I still have – to be able to play a wide spectrum of improvised music and resist being put into boxes and categorised. Critics and fellow musicians alike often know one facet of a players work and presume that’s their whole story.
I’ve never seen why more formal skills (such as reading and navigating harmony) detract from a players ability to truly freely improvise, it’s only fear and a certain mindset that inhibits a wider outlook and approach.
Enter Howard Riley in the red corner where he threw down the gauntlet! :- “I think you might be implying that free players cant play tunes or changes but you’re suggesting that changes players can play free improv? Therefore I challenge you to meet and play! Our chosen battle ground shall be the music of Thelonious Monk”.
The venue for the big stand-off was BBC Maida Vale studios. The referee was Robert Abel from ‘Jazz on 3’ the amazing long running and sadly missed cutting edge radio production by Jez Nelson at ’Somethin’ Else.
We with little or no discussion we met and played 5 Monk tunes, 2 takes of each as follows:-
Round Midnight
Well you Needn’t
Misterioso
Ruby My Dear
Blue Monk
The session was sparky, rhythmic and full of surprises, a real meeting of musical intuitions, tastes and styles emerged exploring this musical common ground.
What surprised me most was how compatible we were and how our musical Venn diagram seemed to have such a huge common area. Howard was a formidable force on the piano, strong in rhythm harmony and filled with creativity using very strong and clear ideas which carried through. His playing suggested so much to interact with providing an endless source of musical flow and inspiration as we bounced off each other!
The result was a unanimous draw!
I soon forgot all about this extraordinary meeting as the years went by until once again out of the blue Howard called me. I thought it was a prank call at first. He insisted he should send me a copy of our long lost duel and when the CD arrived I was stunned by the result. I hope a record label will consider releasing it, to share his unique playing with all.
I was lucky to meet and play with Howard and so glad to have this memory of our meeting.
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With sincere thanks to Dr Duncan Heining, who will be including a substantial chapter on Howard Riley in his next book.
One Response
I spent 3 years in the Upper Bangor Student Residence Plas Gwyn with Howard Riley 1962 to 1965.
where an upright piano stood in the common room . .
Being so busy with my BMus and aural re-sits for my external ARCM teaching diploma as wall as
leading the UCNW Orchestra, I didnt get around
to learning any jazz on violin- with HR ,
However after formal dinner “Lullaby of Birdland” -and “Montis Czardas” were made accessible
with the aid of a passing guitarist rhythm guitarist,
The jazz club was in the students union down Glan Rafon hill. I think..
And I remember we briefly discussed a Mozart sonata copy.
Following Bangor with DE Parry Williams,Robert Smith William Mathias, Bernard Rands and Reginald Smith Brindle, the
three West Riding years centered around schools and staff orchestras in Huddersfield , Bradford Selby,York ,Leeds West Riding
with
advisers John Gaval and Gerald Gentry were as equally happy times.