We have been extraordinarily lucky, and thus privileged, to have had most of the influential pianists of the improvised scene in London play at the Vortex since it started in 1987.
Sad, though, that they will remain a memory, or perhaps the molecules in the walls of the club are affected by them. To add to great friends of the club, Keith Tippett and John Taylor particularly, we now add Howard Riley. I shall also include a thumbnail of him at the photo we did in 2004 outside the club.
He was known for how he could straddle both the more formal and free improvised styles within jazz.
He performed many times solo at the Vortex, both in Stoke Newington Church Street and also in Dalston. His last main performance brought him back together with one of his longest-standing partners, bassist Barry Guy. Their trio together dates back to the late 1960s, originally with drummer Jon Hiseman. Here he performed with Lucas Niggli. Howard was already quite infirm but that was not noticeable in the slightest in the performance.
We also showed the documentary by Cath Longbottom in 2022.
Here are links to two of his gig with Barry Guy: https://thebluemoment.com/2017/04/17/intakt-in-london/