Riley Joseph GiandharI was born in Durban, South Africa. He started
playing drums at the age of 3 and was mainly inspired by his father Pravin Giandhari who is also a professional drummer. At the age of 15, Riley started playing the drums at church and with a few gospel bands. Although he has considered degrees in other fields of study, he has always been drawn back to music and therefore enrolled to study Jazz at UKZN in 2013. Apart from studying music, he is currently a session drummer who records and performs with various musicians and artists. Riley has performed with artists such as Hugh Masekela, Neil Gonsalves, Brian Simpson and Raphael Clarkson. He also teaches drums at Kearsney College and gives private lessons in drums, keyboard, and music theory. Noticeable performances include the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival, the Oslo Jazz Festival, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, and Zakifo Music Festival. In 2018, he won 2 awards at the SAMRO Overseas Scholarship for Composers Competition. Riley G has formed 4 bands of his own as part of his Masters degree in composition and is currently performing his original music. Both his albums will be released in late 2019. |
NEW FOUND PASSIONS! |
INFLUENCES! |
APART FROM BEING A COMPOSER AND A MUSICIAN, RILEY HAS A NEW FOUND PASSION FOR SONG WRITING AND STUDIO ENGINEERING.
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RILEY IS INFLUENCED BY THE MUSIC OF FELA KUTI, CHICK COREA, FRANK ZAPPA, CASIOPEA, TUPAC SHAKUR, MICHAEL JACKSON, JOHN COLTRANE, DAVE WECKL, ANTONIO SANCHEZ AND MANY MORE.
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RILEY G
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