Howard Riley: Five Decades in Music

Maxim Micheliov

Technical Strategist since 2010

Max is a music lover, web developer, a freelance journalist and a webmaster at NoBusiness Records. His mission is to build websites for jazz musicians.

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Published: June 16, 2010

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AAJ: What can you say about the future of music. Is it in hands of young musicians?

HR: It's a massive question. Generally speaking some of them demonstrate amazing technical achievements. It's got to do with education opportunities; 18 year-olds—they've got phenomenal technique. It makes me feel ashamed really when I listen to it sometimes.

But of course, that's only a "half-in a question," isn't it? The other "half in a question" is the more intangible aspects of music. Why are you doing it? And there's no definitive answer to all that. I think from a musician's point of view you've got to realize that separation. I find it in my own bit of teaching. I often ask my students why you are doing this. Why? I don't know, they often don't really understand why. It's not a burning desire.

When I look back at the '50s—I had to play. When I heard Monk and Charlie Parker, I thought, "I've got to be a part of that. This is what I want to do." But today a lot of people don't have particularly that burning desire. I think it's a part of modern society now. There's so much other stuff going on. So many distractions.

Like in football—kids now would rather play a computer. If they play football, they want to play for a thousand pounds a kick. Ridiculous! So I think it's a more general problem in the society. Information is so easily available on a very superficial level. It doesn't always leave a lot of intention for people to actually put in a lot of time and dedication, of burning desire to doing it. But having said that, technically, some amazing stuff is going on. We all know in jazz specifically is being revival—I am not in favor of that. I think that going inside (something) and trying to recreate its past is a dead end, actually.

Things move so quickly now that all you can do as a musician is just find the areas you can be interested in working with; try to develop some of those in depth. It's a difficult thing to do because there always going to be passing fashions.

I do worry a bit because people's attention now is so minor compare to what it used to be. I don't know if there's many people left who are prepared to sit down and really listen to music as opposed to the '70s. If you are talking about the dedicated listener, it's now kind of tricky. There was a problem of finding music, creative music. That has always been a problem but in a way I think more of a problem that came up with so-called free market. Of course, it crushed but in the last 30 years it was the only way forward. That just means that the more commercial stuff will be heard and the more creative stuff won't be heard. So, I do worry a bit just in terms of people being aware of the alternative, which seems to be a problem today. Although there will always be very dedicated people, working on their own thing. There will always be people going along with it and creating environment for it.

We are obviously in a much more technological age now with the Internet, mobile phones, etc., but the basic problem unfortunately remains the same. I can't predict in terms where goes music. Who knows? But at least I know what I'd like to do.

Selected Discography

Howard Riley, Solo In Vilnius (No Business Records, 2010)
Howard Riley, For Four on Two Two (Phantom Sound and Vision, 2008)
Howard Riley, Consequences (33 Jazz, 2006)
Howard Riley/Roger Eno, (Heliopause, 2005)
Howard Riley, Two is One (Emanem, 2005)
Howard Riley, Air Play (Slam, 2003)
Howard Riley, John Tilbury and Keith Tippett, Another Part of the Story (Emanem, 2002)
Howard Riley Trio, Synopsis (Emanem, 2001)
Howard Riley, Singleness (Jazzprint, 2001)
Howard Riley/Lol Coxhill/George Haslam/Paul Rutherford, The Holywell Concert (Slam Productions, 1990)
Howard Riley/Jaki Byard, Live at the Royal Festival Hall (Leo Records, 1984)
Howard Riley, Duality (JazzPrint, 1981)
Howard Riley/Barry Guy/John Stevens/Trevor Watts, Endgame (Japo Records, 1979)
Howard Riley, Flight (Turtle Records, 1971)
Howard Riley Trio, Angle (CBS Realm, 1969)
Howard Riley Trio, Discussions (Opportunity, 1967)