Ben Riley, born July 17, 1933, in Savannah, Georgia, was an American jazz
drummer. His family relocated to New York City when he was four years old. After
serving in a United States Army jazz band from 1953, he worked with New York
musicians including Randy Weston, Mary Lou Williams, Sonny Rollins, Woody
Herman, Stan Getz, and Johnny Griffin. During the 1960s he performed and toured
extensively with pianist Thelonious Monk, recording live albums such as Bremen
1965. Riley subsequently taught in New York schools, joined the New York Jazz
Quartet and Alice Coltrane's group, and pla...