“Gyan Riley is a one-man American-music machine, amicably ranging across the fields of jazz, world music, and post-minimalism.” (The New Yorker)

At the age of 6, Gyan began learning to play the violin. Good fortune struck 5 years later when he won a guitar in a raffle, liberating his parents from having to listen to him squeaking his way through his Suzuki method book. He immediately took to the guitar, practicing long hours and eventually being admitted to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, becoming the first full-scholarship guitar student. Gyan toured internationally with various ensembles throughout his twenties, including the World Guitar Ensemble, the Falla Guitar Trio, the Modern Mandolin Quartet, and his own Gyan Riley Trio. Upon moving to New York City in 2010, he joined the electric guitar quartet Dither, a boundary-pushing band that boasts collaborations with Nels Cline and Lee Ranaldo. He also formed the duo Probosci with violinist Timba Harris, a project that released two albums and toured extensively in Europe, South America and the US. He cofounded the acoustic trio Eviyan, with virtuoso clarinetist Evan Ziporyn and the iconic singer/violinist Iva Bíttova. In 2015 Gyan began his collaboration with renowned guitarist Julian Lage, performing music by John Zorn. In the last two years, that duo expanded to include the legendary guitarist Bill Frisell, recording four albums on the Tzadik label. Gyan has also performed extensively and released two albums with his father, the composer/pianist/vocalist Terry Riley. Gyan has six of his own CD titles and dozens of collaborative recordings. Arooj Aftab’s 2021 album Vulture Prince features Gyan on the Grammy-nominated song Mohabbat. Most recently he was extensively featured as a performer and composer for the PBS documentary series Hemingway. Tour dates, media, albums, and sheet music available at www.gyanriley.com.

“Beautiful and enigmatic”…”an alluringly intimate vibe created from the first note.” – The New York Times