Trumpeter Riley Mulherkar is a founding member of The Westerlies and in 2024 released his debut album Riley, hailed as “one of the best debut records to come out in a long, long time” (DownBeat).

Described as “über hip, modern yet timeless” (DownBeat) Mulherkar is a 2020 recipient of Lincoln Center’s Emerging Artist Award for his work as “an original bandleader, composer, arranger, educator, community activist and advocate for jazz and the arts.” Riley serves as Artistic Director at Joye in Aiken and is a faculty member of The College of Performing Arts at The New School. Mulherkar is an Edwards Artist and performs on Edwards trumpets.