Howard Riley (1943 - 2025)

By Martin Schray

I fell in love with the music of Howard Riley rather late, actually it was with Solo in Vilnius (NoBusiness, 2010). But then I really did. In the following years, I discovered his whole body of work, his early trio and most of all his solo albums, especially Constant Change 1976 - 2016 (NoBusiness, 2016), a 5-CD box set, which is one of my favourites of the decade. Howard Riley has become my favourite pianist (except Cecil Taylor, who is a league of his own), and because I had listened to his music intensively, I was really shocked when it became known that he was seriously ill. However, Riley managed to defy the illness for a long time and even managed to adapt his playing technique. But in the end, the great British pianist lost the fight and died yesterday, February 8th, shortly before his 82nd birthday.

Howard Riley studied at the University of Wales (1961–66), where he gained a BA and MA. He then he went to Indiana University (1966–67), before he enrolled at York University (1967–70) for his PhD. Alongside his studies and teaching he always played jazz professionally, with Evan Parker in 1966 and then with his aforementioned trio (1967–76), with Barry Guy on bass and Alan Jackson, Jon Hiseman and Tony Oxley alternating on drums. They released three albums for three different labels, each showing a remarkable stylistic evolution, opening up standardized structures into the worlds of an unknown, free improvisational language, while still clearly rooted in jazz. Riley played with a number of the key musicians of the British improv scene, but his idea of freedom was different. He needed a melody or rhythmic fragment to provide a center of gravity.

Apart from that, the feature which characterizes Riley’s music best is a tendency to reduction. His first solo album, Singleness, “demonstrated his mastery of historical techniques, attuned, through Monk, to the language of bebop as well as to the contemporary forms of Xenakis and Penderecki“, as Trevor Barre puts it in Beyond Jazz - Plink, Plonk & Scratch; The Golden Age of Free Music in London 1966 -1972. Especially Xenakis has been a constant influence to his music which Riley has always seen as an evolutionary process. In the liner notes to Facets (Impetus, 1981) he mentioned that he had always tried to bring both sides together: the useful ideas and intellectual aspects of the European musical environment and the intensity and spontaneity which is displayed by the American jazz tradition. Riley’s work ricocheted between drama, space, rumbling trills, rhythmic surprises and a sparing lyricism. Hardly anyone was able to develop a theme through constant modulations, harmony shifts and subtle dynamics like him, his idiosyncrasies always remaining accessible.

During a recording session, he realized that he couldn't play anymore and went to see a doctor, who diagnosed Parkinson’s disease. Riley had to stop playing for some time, and luckily he recovered with the help of medication. However, he had to revise his technique. At that age this was a tremendous and hard effort and it was surprising how well it worked, for example on the late recordings for Constant Change 1976 - 2016. As another result Riley approached his later solo performances “with or without repertoire“, playing the great standards, mainly Monk and Ellington. He was back where he started from.

Howard Riley has always been something like an unsung hero in the improvised music scene, but he released very recommendable albums. Flight (Turtle Records, 1971) and Synopsis (Incus, 1974), both with the above-mentioned trio, are landmarks of British free jazz. Duality (View Records, 1982) and For Four On Two Two (Affinity, 1984) are early masterpieces of his solo excursions. His piano duo with Keith Tippett must also be mentioned here, for example The Bern Concert (FMR, 1994). A personal favourite of mine is Improvisation Is Forever Now (Emanem, 1978/2002) with Barry Guy and Phil Wachsmann. From his late period all albums on the NoBusiness label are great, Solo in Vilnius and Constant Change 1976 - 2016 are essential. By releasing Riley’s late works regularly, the Lithuanians have helped this wonderful music to see the light of day.

It was also NoBusiness’s Danas Mikailionis who informed us that Howard Riley passed away at his care home in Beckenham, South London. Unfortunately, Parkinson’s Disease had really taken its toll severely with him over the last few years. The musical universe has lost a bright star, a kind man and a great personality. It is not only me who will miss Howard Riley a lot.

Watch Howard Riley play solo here:

from www.freejazzblog.org