Drumming News :
One of the most in-demand jazz drummers in New Orleans was Herlin Riley, a musician who enthralled audiences with his rhythms and the unmistakable enthusiasm he brought to his art. If you were making a cultural bucket list — seeing the Egyptian pyramids, experiencing the northern lights in Iceland, visiting the Sistine Chapel in Rome — you might well have added hearing Riley perform in New Orleans. He was widely regarded as the dean of jazz drummers in the city that gave America its rhythm.
At 66, Riley was already considered a living legend. He had performed with towering figures such as Ahmad Jamal, Wynton Marsalis, Danny Barker, Dr. John and Marcus Roberts. Yet he remained deeply rooted in his hometown, continuing to be one of the most sought-after drummers in the Cradle of Jazz.
During a concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, Riley took the stage with a Cuban trio before a packed house. When he appeared on the bandstand, word traveled fast. Jazz impresario Jason Patterson introduced him with exuberant praise, calling him “the heaviest drummer on the planet.” Riley, laughing, played along with the accolade — but humility defined him as much as virtuosity.
Riley’s artistry carried a bloodline. He was part of the storied Lastie musical family of New Orleans. His grandfather, Frank Lastie, had once played alongside none other than Louis Armstrong during their time at the Colored Waifs Home around 1915. Later, Lastie became a deacon credited with bringing drums into the church. Raised by his grandparents, Riley absorbed rhythm at the kitchen table, where his grandfather tapped New Orleans street beats with butter knives after breakfast — rhythms that would echo through Riley’s own career decades later.
Music surrounded him. His uncles — saxophonist David Lastie Sr., trumpeter Melvin Lastie and drummer Popee Lastie — were all professionals. From them, Riley internalized the sounds of shuffle, swing, funk, soul and blues. From the sanctified church, he learned the tambourine, inspired by the women who coaxed electrifying rhythms from it during worship. He later brought that instrument to the bandstand, expanding its role in jazz performance.
Among Riley’s most prominent admirers was Wynton Marsalis, artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. The two had known each other since their teenage years in the Fairview Baptist Church Marching Band, and Riley played 17 years with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Marsalis praised not only Riley’s mastery of the tambourine, but his encyclopedic musicianship, joy, spirituality and precision. Riley’s experience ranged from burlesque shows to symphonic works, from New Orleans parades to refined concert halls, always informed by what Marsalis described as an “ancient wisdom.”
A Herlin Riley performance was as much visual as musical. He smiled broadly, twirled his sticks like a vaudeville showman and transformed everyday objects into instruments — a water pitcher, a wine glass, even a pipe protruding from a wall. Pianist David Torkanowsky, who played alongside Riley for decades, described him as “one of the last of his kind,” directly connected to the African roots of improvisational American music. In Riley’s playing, Torkanowsky heard ancestry — something grounded, pure and unmistakable.
In November 2023, Riley appeared in New York on pianist Emmet Cohen’s popular YouTube series, Live From Emmet’s Place, further demonstrating his range and charisma. Despite widespread acclaim as one of America’s greatest living drummers, Riley dismissed grand titles. A devout believer, he attributed his gifts to God’s grace and saw himself not as the greatest, but as a vessel.
Like many breakout national artists born on the sacred rhythmic ground of New Orleans, Riley never truly left home. The second-line parades, Mardi Gras rhythms and the spirit of the Crescent City always pulsed through his music. Whether behind a drum kit, shaking a tambourine or breaking into song, Herlin Riley embodied the living heartbeat of New Orleans jazz.
This was inspired by a NPR story title “Add listening to this New Orleans jazz drummer to your 2024 bucket list”, you can read that article HERE
