Alex Riel

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Danish jazz and rock drummer (1940–2024)

title: "Alex Riel" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1940-births", "2024-deaths", "hard-bop-drummers", "danish-rock-drummers", "danish-jazz-drummers", "musicians-from-copenhagen", "people-from-halsnæs-municipality", "musicians-from-the-capital-region-of-denmark", "ben-webster-prize-recipients"] description: "Danish jazz and rock drummer (1940–2024)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Riel" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Danish jazz and rock drummer (1940–2024) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

FieldValue
nameAlex Riel
imageAlex Riel photo by Gorm Valentin A1.jpg
captionAlex Riel photo by Gorm Valentin
birth_date
birth_placeCopenhagen, Denmark
death_date
death_placeLiseleje, Denmark
genreJazz, rock
occupationMusician
instrumentDrums
years_active1962–2024
website
::

| name = Alex Riel | image = Alex Riel photo by Gorm Valentin A1.jpg | image_size = | landscape = | caption = Alex Riel photo by Gorm Valentin | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Copenhagen, Denmark | death_date = | death_place = Liseleje, Denmark | origin = | genre = Jazz, rock | occupation = Musician | instrument = Drums | years_active = 1962–2024 | label = | website =

Alex Riel (13 September 1940 – 9 June 2024) was a Danish jazz and rock drummer. His first group, the Alex Riel/Palle Mikkelborg Quintet, won the Montreux Grand Prix Award at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1968. He was married to the writer Ane Riel.

Biography

Riel recorded with, among others, Booker Ervin, Kenny Drew, Kenny Werner, Bob Brookmeyer, Thomas Clausen, Bill Evans, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Donald Byrd, Don Cherry, Thad Jones, and Ben Webster. He formed a jazz ensemble with bass player Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. Riel was also a founding member in 1968 of the Danish rock group The Savage Rose. His album The Riel Deal won a Danish Grammy for Best Danish Jazz Album in 1996.

In September 2010, Riel's 70th birthday celebration at the Jazzhus Montmartre was broadcast live with the title Celebration of a Living Jazz Legend by the Danish national television station TV2.

Personal life and death

Riel married crime fiction author Ane Riel in 2002. They lived in Liseleje in North Zealand from 2005 until his death. He died at his home there on 9 June 2024, at the age of 83.

Awards

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Steve Dobrogosz

  • Confessions (Prophone, 1980)
  • Scary Bright (Dragon, 1984) – with Berit Andersson

With Kenny Dorham

  • Scandia Skies (SteepleChase, 1963 [1980])
  • Short Story (SteepleChase, 1963 [1979])

With Dexter Gordon

With Karin Krog

  • You Must Believe in Spring (Polydor, 1974)
  • Love Songs (Polydor, 1977)
  • Something Borrowed … Something New (Meantime, 1989) – with Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Kenny Drew

With Warne Marsh

With Jackie McLean

With Palle Mikkelborg

  • The Mysterious Corona (Debut, 1967) – with Radiojazzgruppen
  • Ashoka Suite/Guadiana/Concert (Dedicated to Torolf Mølgaard) (Metronome, 1970)

With The Savage Rose

  • The Savage Rose (Polydor, 1968)
  • In the Plain (Polydor, 1968)
  • ''Travelin''' (Polydor, 1969)
  • Your Daily Gift (Gregar, 1970)
  • Refugee (Gregar, 1971)
  • Babylon (Polydor, 1972)
  • Dødens triumf (Polydor, 1972)

With Archie Shepp

With Sahib Shihab

With Stuff Smith

With Ben Webster

  • Intimate! (Fontana, 1965)
  • Blue Light (Polydor, 1966)
  • Duke's in Bed! (Black Lion, 1969)
  • Stormy Weather (Polydor, 1970) – with Kenny Drew
  • My Man: Live at Montmartre 1973 (SteepleChase, 1973)
  • Saturday Night at the Montmartre (Black Lion, 1974)
  • Atmosphere for Lovers and Thieves (Black Lion, 1976)
  • Midnight at the Montmartre (Black Lion, 1977)
  • Sunday Morning at the Montmartre (Black Lion, 1977)

With others

Gallery

Image:alex-riel01.jpg Image:alex-riel02.jpg Image:alex-riel03.jpg Image:alex-riel04.jpg

References

References

  1. ''Jeg skal sgu sidde ved trommerne'' Af Bine Madsen. Dagbladenes Bureau, 9 February 2010. Same interview in Flensborg Avis, 17 February 2010, Side 18
  2. ''Alex Riel'' Horsens Folkeblad, 16 February 2010, 2. sektion, Side 12
  3. (June 29, 1968). ["Montreux Fest Carves Jazz Niche"]({{Google books).
  4. [https://web.archive.org/web/20040829013311/http://www.um.dk/Publikationer/UM/English/FactsheetDenmark/JazzPopAndRock/html/chapter01.htm Jazz] at [[Foreign Ministry of Denmark]]
  5. ''Riel og rytmen. Portræt: Alex Riel'' Af Tove Skytte Erngaard. Jyllands-Posten, 27 July 1997, Kultur og tv, Side 1
  6. "Alex Riel". Storyville Records.
  7. "Alex Riel 70 Year Celebration Danish National TV Live". Nyhederne-dyn.tv2.dk.
  8. "Ane Riel-9a-b". forfatterweb.
  9. [https://tidende.dk/ind-og-udland/indland-kriminal/trommeslager-alex-riel-er-sovet-ind-efter-uhelbredelig-sygdom/353856 Trommeslager Alex Riel er sovet ind efter uhelbredelig sygdom] {{in lang. da
  10. "Danish Jazz Musician Award 1965 Presented by Duke Ellington and Sam Woodyard". Drummerworld.com.
  11. "The Ben Webster Award Winners of The Year 1977–2021". Ben Webster Foundation.
  12. "Life Time Achievement Award". Drummerworld.com.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1940-births2024-deathshard-bop-drummersdanish-rock-drummersdanish-jazz-drummersmusicians-from-copenhagenpeople-from-halsnæs-municipalitymusicians-from-the-capital-region-of-denmarkben-webster-prize-recipients