Howard Riley

300 copies. All compositions by Howard Riley (PRS / MCPS), except “Lush Life” by Billy Strayhorn. Recorded live at VDU Jazz Festival Kaunas on the 10th November, 2012 by Areas Zujus. "Brilliant work from pianist Howard Riley – the British modernist who's been making amazing music for decades, but often through very obscure records like this! Riley's got this sense of balance, tone, and timing that sits justly in a legacy that starts with Herbie Nichols and runs up through Alexander Von Schlippenbach – and in a solo setting like this, hets one of the few that could hold our attention as rapt as those other two – playing at once in a mode that's very free, but still always surprisingly tuneful, and with a sense of cohesion. The album's a perfect document of everything that makes Riley so great – and titles include "Identification", "From Somewhere", "Dwelling One", and "Understanding".  - Dustygroove