Rivers was born in Oklahoma, but moved east to study at Boston Conservatory. In 1959, he began playing with a 13-year-old Tony Williams, which led to Rivers playing in Miles Davis’ quintet in Japan. Rivers began his own recording career shortly afterwards, showcasing his ‘inside-outside’ technique to composition, where melodies would move away from the harmonic framework before returning. In the 1970s, Rivers ran Studio Rivbea with his wife Bea, a loft in New York that was influential in the development of free jazz during that decade, along with Rivers’ own trio and Rivbea Orchestra. Rivers passed away in Orlando aged 88.
