John Riley (b-1954)
I heard John Riley with the Woody Herman Band. Before that…I heard him on the North Texas College of Music Lab 76, One O’Clock Lab Band recording. As an author, John Riley has published several books including, The Art of Bop Drumming, The Master Drummer, Beyond Bop Drumming, The Jazz Drummer’s Workshop and Killer Grooves.
When I saw The Woody Herman band it included Mark Johnson on bass. It was a great music history lesson to see and hear this historic ensemble. John Riley is currently the drummer in the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.