He is known for being a founding member of the jazz groups The Bad Plus (with Reid Anderson and Ethan Iverson) and Happy Apple (with Michael Lewis and Erik Fratzke).

King is also active in many other projects including free jazz collective Buffalo Collision with NYC "downtown" musicians Tim Berne and Hank Roberts and the electronic art/pop group Halloween, Alaska.

King has recorded or performed with Bill Frisell, Joshua Redman, Joe Lovano, Dewey Redman, Chris Speed, Ursus Minor (with Tony Hymas, Jef Lee Johnson, François Corneloup, Jeff Beck, Julian Lage, Boots Riley and Dead Prez), Joe 'Guido' Welsh, Viktor Krauss, Matt Maneri, Bill Carrothers, Anthony Cox, Atmosphere, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Benoît Delbecq, Django Bates, Meat Beat Manifesto, Craig Taborn's Junk Magic, Tchad Blake, Tony Platt, Mason Jennings, Haley Bonar, Wendy Lewis, Chris Morissey, Jim Mcneely and HR big band, Peter Lang, Craig Green and his high school big band among others.

King has also written and performed for modern dance with the Mark Morris Dance Group[1] and for fashion, composing and performing live for three seasons of designer Isaac Mizrahi's fashion week shows at Bryant Park NYC[2] and for film with the award winning animated shorts "Bike Ride Story" and "Bike Race" by Tom Schroeder.

[3] In 2010 King released a solo record titled "Indelicate" on the Sunnyside label where the drummer plays duets with himself on piano aided by overdubbing in the studio.