Jeffrey Brown:
At a recent concert at New York City Winery, Riley performed as part of the inaugural class of the Jazz Legacies Fellowship, 20 musicians, all 62 and older. The fellowship comes with $100,000 to use as the musicians want for creative projects they always hope to take on, or for housing, medical and other personal needs.
The four-year program is funded by the Mellon Foundation, for the record, also an underwriter of PBS News, in partnership with the Jazz Foundation of America, and honors seasoned jazz musicians who may not have achieved huge popular success, but have continued to work and contribute to the art form they love.
Another jazz legacy fellow, 90-year-old pianist Valerie Capers.
