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Alex Riel

Alex Riel was born September 1940 in Copenhagen, Denmark, and has since the sixties remained firmly established as one of the most significant and influential jazz drummers in Europe. His career began in the early sixties where he was the house drummer at the legendary jazz club "Montmartre" in Copenhagen. The rhythm section also included bass player Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and alternately pianists Tete Montuliu and Kenny Drew. During this time Alex Riel got to accompany a vast number of visiting international stars as Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Dorham, Don Byas, Donald Byrd, Yusef Lateef and many more.

This experience led to Alex Riel being chosen as the “Danish Jazz Musician Of the Year” in 1965, and shortly hereafter he released his first recording as a bandleader. It was a trio recording with Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Kenny Drew which has now become collector’s item. In 1965-66 Alex Riel also toured in Europe as a member of the renowned pianist Bill Evans’ trio with bassist Eddie Gomez.

Over the years Alex Riel has played with an impressive number of fine jazz musicians representing both the traditional and the modern way. His very first impression of jazz drumming was that of Big Sid Catlett and Zutty Zingleton, and this early influence is still perceptible in his playing. However Riel’s appearance with musicians such as Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Archie Shepp, Michel Petrucciani, Gary Burton, John Scofield etc has made him widely known as an outstanding modern drummer taking up the styles of drummers Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes and Tony Williams.

Alex Riel has also been working a great deal outside the jazz area. He was a founding member of “The Savage Rose” - one of the most significant Scandinavian rock groups ever " with whom he recorded several albums. They toured extensively around Europe and US in the late 60s and early 70s. In 1969 they played at the original Newport Festival in USA where they shared the stage with Jethru Tull and James Brown. In addition to this, Alex Riel has drawn attention to himself as a rock drummer through his long time work with the successful Danish singer and composer Sebastian. Riel has furthermore been playing in a number of jazz-rock fusion bands, among them the succesfull Danish fusion band "Santa Cruz".

Ever since the late 50’s Alex Riel has played as a sideman on several hundred jazz recordings with various international artists. During the last decade he’s been releasing CD’s in his own name as well. These recordings are featuring contemporary stars such as Jerry Bergonzi, Michael Brecker, Kenny Werner and Mike Stern, but also “old” favourites like trumpet player Harry Sweet Edison, sax player Charlie Mariano and bassist Eddie Gomez.

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Reassessing

Sahib Shihab and the Danish Radio Jazz Group

Read "Sahib Shihab and the Danish Radio Jazz Group" reviewed by Joshua Weiner


Many jazz fans will know saxophonist and flautist Sahib Shihab primarily for his stint in the 1940s with Thelonious Monk, and his playing captured on Monk's Genius of Modern Music Blue Note sets. Keen-eyed perusers of liner notes, however, will know him as an able sideman on classic albums by John Coltrane, Quincy Jones, Art Blakey, Benny Golson, Milt Jackson and others. Shihab also recorded as a leader in the 1950s and 1960s with Savoy, Debut and Argo, before moving ...

482
Album Review

Sahib Shihab: Sahib Shihab and the Danish Radio Jazz Group

Read "Sahib Shihab and the Danish Radio Jazz Group" reviewed by Douglas Payne


Sahib Shihab (1925-1989) played alongside such greats as Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Tadd Dameron, and Art Blakey in the 1940s and 50s. But in order to escape the racial problems in the United States and take advantage of the increased appreciation and opportunities for jazz abroad, he left for Europe and settled in Copenhagen in 1962. He became one of the featured soloists in the Clarke-Boland Big Band and joined the relatively young Danish Radio Jazz Group around the same ...

162
Album Review

Alex Riel: Celebration

Read "Celebration" reviewed by Jack Bowers


A thoughtfully planned, beautifully recorded, generously timed and wonderfully played trio session led by drummer Alex Riel and showcasing the prodigious talents of pianist Kenny Werner and bassist Jesper Lundgaard, so exhilarating that this reviewer was reminded from time to time of the classic Marian McPartland Hickory House trio from the '50s with bassist Bill Crow and drummer Joe Morello. After opening the concert date at the Copenhagen Jazz House with three spellbinding standards, Riel and Company elucidate Horace Silver's ...

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186

Recording

New CD by "Santa Cruz" - Leading Danish Fusion Band

New CD by "Santa Cruz" - Leading Danish Fusion Band

Source: Michael Ricci

SANTA CRUZ Jazz-rock fusion

Alex Riel (drums) Poul Halberg (guitar) Frans Bak (keys) Hans Ulrik (sax) Bo Stief (bass) During the 1980s SANTA CRUZ was one of the most successful jazz-rock fusion bands in Denmark. Today their only release from those days, the LP Daylight from 1985, has a cult like status in the country. Since then each of the band members has been leading their ...

"Riel, the Great Dane of European jazz drummers, joins the realm of the New York neo-bop crowd for his fourth disc as a leader. Tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, bassist Eddie Gomez, and either guitarist Mike Stern or pianist Niels Lan Doky, are more than equal partners, while Michael Brecker joins Gonz on the front line for two tracks. Riel is an exceptional timekeeper and unique in that he is able to create improvisations within a steady rhythmic framework that is intense and frenetic." [... ] "It's clear these are experts in their field, and Riel is comfortably in their league. Further evidence is included in an extensive, perhaps complete, amazing discography printed in the booklet of this CD. It's proof positive that Europe has at least one precious percussive jazz commodity America lacks." (AllMusic about UNRIEL)

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Full House

Storyville Records
2012

buy

Live At Stars

ITM Records
2008

buy

Celebration

Stunt Records/Sundance Music
2002

buy

Rielatin'

ITM Records
2000

buy

Unriel!

ITM Records
1997

buy

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