Alex Riel

Alex Riel (born 13 September 1940 in Copenhagen, Denmark) is a Danish jazz and rock drummer. His first group Alex Riel/Palle Mikkelborg Quintet won Montreux Grand Prix Award at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1968 and it was published in Billboard's June 1968 edition.

Biography
Riel has recorded with, among others, Kenny Drew, Kenny Werner, Bob Brookmeyer, Thomas Clausen, Bill Evans, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Jackie McLean, and Dexter Gordon. He has also worked with a wide range of important jazz musicians, including Ray Brown, Donald Byrd, Don Cherry, Art Farmer, Stéphane Grappelli, Hank Jones, Thad Jones, and Ben Webster. He formed a renowned jazz ensemble with bass player Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Kenny Drew.

He was also a founding member in 1968 of the popular Danish rock group The Savage Rose. His album The Riel Deal won a Danish Grammy Award Jazz in 1996.

In September 2010, Riel reached seventy years of an age and it was celebrated at the famed Jazzhus Montmartre. The event was broadcast live with the title Celebration Of A Living Jazz-Legend by the Danish national television 2, TV2 which was also showing rare photos, depicting Riel with Duke Ellington, Ben Webster, Bill Evans and acclaimed rock group The Savage Rose.

Awards

 * Danish Jazz Musician Award 1965 presented by Duke Ellington and Sam Woodyard (Photo)
 * Ben Webster 90 Years Honorary Prize 1999 (Shared with Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Olivier Antunes)
 * Danish Grammy Award Jazz in 1996 for Riel's album The Riel Deal
 * Life Time Achievement Award from IFPI 2007 (Photo)

Discography

 * As leader
 * Alex Riel Trio with Kenny Drew, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen 1965 LP FONA Cat#111
 * Emergence with Jesper Lundgaard, Jerry Bergonzi 1994 RED Distribution CD Cat#123263
 * The Riel Deal with Kenny Werner, Jerry Bergonzi 1996 STUNT CD Cat#19604
 * Unriel with Jerry Bergonzi, Michael Brecker, Eddie Gomez, Mike Stern, Niels Lan Doky 1997 Stunt CD Cat#19707
 * DSB Kino with Harry Sweets Edison, Roger Kellaway 1998 STUNT CD Cat#19811
 * Rielatin with Jerry Bergonzi, Mike Stern, Kenny Werner 1999 STUNT CD Cat#19918
 * Celebration 2000 STUNT CD Cat#00232
 * Live At Jive Alex Riel/Luts Büchner Quartet 2001 STUNT CD Cat#0120232
 * What Happened? Alex Riel Trio 2004 Cowbell Music
 * The High & The Mighty Alex Riel Trio 2007 Cowbell Music
 * Live At Stars Alex Riel Quartet feat. Charlie Mariano 2008 Cowbell Music
 * Riel Time Alex Riel Quartet 2008 Cowbell Music
 * Get Riel 2008 Cowbell Music