Tim Ries

Tim Ries is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, band leader, and music educator at the collegiate and conservatory level. Ries is in his eighteenth year as a professor of jazz studies at the University of Toronto.

His universe of work as composer, arranger, and instrumentalist ranges from Rock to Jazz to Classical to Experimental to Ethno to World Music to Fusions of respective genres thereof.

From 1982 to 1984, Ries taught jazz improvisation at the University of Michigan. In the 1990s, he made it his day job. Ries has held teaching posts at the University of Bridgeport (1994), Mannes School of Music (1994–1996), The New School (1995–1998), City College of New York (1995–2000), New Jersey City University (2003), and Rutgers University (2003–2005). Most recently, he was Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Toronto (2007–10).

Ries has recorded five albums as leader. As collaborator and sideman, he has recorded with pianist Franck Amsallem, Phil Woods, Tom Harrell, Al Foster, John Patitucci, Dave Liebman, Danilo Perez, Maynard Ferguson, Red Garland, Badal Roy, Maria Schneider (musician), and Donald Byrd.

As a soprano saxophonist, Ries was one of the founding members of the PRISM Quartet, a saxophone chamber group that endures today. Besides himself, the founding members were Michael Whitcombe (alto), Matthew Levy (tenor), Timothy Miller (bari).

As a sideman on saxophone, keyboards, and organ, Ries toured with the Rolling Stones during 2003–2004. Ries arranged compositions by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, which were recorded on off-days during the Stones’ A Bigger Bang World Tour. Subsequently, Ries has toured with The Rolling Stones in 2005, 2006, 2007 and again in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Ries has composed over one hundred works. As saxophonist with the PRISM Quartet, Ries has performed William Bolcom’s Concerto Grosso, for saxophone quartet and orchestra, with 13 orchestras, including the Detroit Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, and Cleveland. As a saxophonist soloist, he performed the American premiere of Takashi Yoshimatsu’s Cyber Bird Concerto with the Brooklyn Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall.