Bloodline of drummers

Since coming of age in the nurturing environment of a very musical family and a distinguished bloodline of drummers, New Orleans native Herlin Riley emerged from that most creative era of all things rhythmic in the late '70s and early '80s, enlivening the ensembles of demanding improvisers like pianist Ahmad Jamal and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis with his commanding yet elegant rhythmic presence.

His authoritative style of melodic percussion is deeply rooted in the fertile creative soil of the Crescent City, spanning the full length and breadth of America's ongoing musical journey — what Riley himself describes as a "living, breathing art form."

Riley began playing drums at age three, coming up through Danny Barker's Fairview Baptist Church youth band and the Bourbon Street club scene, including a stint with Al Hirt. He toured and recorded with Ahmad Jamal from 1984 to 1987 before joining Wynton Marsalis's band in 1988, becoming a founding member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and helping develop the drum parts for Marsalis's Pulitzer Prize–winning Blood on the Fields.

Beyond his own quintet and the New Orleans Groove Masters, Riley has recorded and performed with a wide range of artists, and appeared in theatrical productions including One Mo' Time and Satchmo: America's Musical Legend. He has also lectured in percussion for the jazz studies program at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music.

Selected artists Riley has recorded or performed with:

• Ahmad Jamal
• Wynton Marsalis
• Boz Scaggs
• Dr. Lonnie Smith
• George Benson
• Dr. John
• Harry Connick, Jr.
• Bennie Wallace
• Mark Whitfield
• Marcus Roberts
• Delfeayo Marsalis