The maximalist father of Minimalism, Terry Riley, turns 90

Kobuchizawa, Japan — On June 24, Terry Riley turned 90. It was a momentous occasion for American music that got little attention in the U.S. But Sunday night at the Ford, Bang on a Can All-Stars will pay tribute in a concert that surrounds “In C,” Riley’s 1964 work that was said to have launched Minimalism, with a few hints of where it came from and where music might yet go.

Rhythmically mesmerizing and harmonically alluring, Minimalism proved the most persuasive new musical method of the late 20th century. It reached all forms of classical music and energized rock with its harmonic trance and rhythmic repetitions (The Who acknowledged him in “Baba O’Riley”) and ultimately many forms of pop music and jazz. Opera succumbed, as did film music. The watered-down Minimalism that wormed its w