Jazz Articles about John Hadfield

About John Hadfield

Album Review

Il richiamo alla tradizione folklorica delle Isole Vergini, dove Ron Blake nacque sessant'anni fa, è evidente fin dalle prime battute di “Bassman," una sorta di “St. Thomas" di rollinsiana memoria, trasportata nel nuovo millennio. È musica che nasce dai cantastorie che popolavano l'isola, e che--supportati da una gioiosa base ritmica, scratch bands per l'appunto--dispensavano gioia e divertimento. Blake sostenuto dall'eccellente ritmica di Reuben Rogers e John Hadfield, non lesina in quanto a groove proponendo una musica colloquiale ma ...

Album Review

Rachel Eckroth & John Hadfield, featuring Petros Klampanis: Olhos de Gato

Read "Olhos de Gato" reviewed by Katchie Cartwright

by Katchie Cartwright
December 1, 2025

Rachel Eckroth and John Hadfield were in Greece to record Speaking In Tongues (Adhyâropa Records, 2025). The freewheeling piano-drum duo found themselves with an extra day in Athens after finishing the recording, so they decided to enlist bassist Petros Klampanis for another little session, just for fun. No expectations, just a bit of free improvisation. At one point, they pulled out Carla Bley's “Olhos de Gato" (aka “Sad Song"). The piece is deep and beautiful, in the kind ...

Radio & Podcasts

Olhos de Gato: John Hadfield and Friends

by Katchie Cartwright
November 30, 2025

In November, All About Jazz interviewed the prolific world-jazz percussionist John Hadfield. This edition of Caminhos do Jazz radio features Hadfield's latest single, a gorgeous rendition of Carla Bley's “Olhos de Gato" with pianist Rachel Eckroth and bassist Petros Klampanis (read review). The show also contains selections from a few of the many (100+) recordings in his discography, including his own Paris Quintet and albums with Kinan Azmeh's CityBand (read review), Rachel Eckroth (read review), and Brad Shepik (read review). ...

Interview

John Hadfield: An Open Concept

by Katchie Cartwright
November 26, 2025

John Hadfield's sound is instantly recognizable, due in part to his unique drum kit, which reflects the musics he has studied and with which he continues to engage. Hadfield's formal degrees are in jazz (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and Western classical music (University of Missouri, Kansas City), but he also studied frame drumming and world percussion extensively with Jamey Haddad at The New School in New York. He trained in South Asian classical percussion with Ganesh Kumar and Subash ...

Album Review

Ron Blake, feat. Reuben Rogers & John Hadfield: SCRATCH Band

Read "SCRATCH Band" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
August 16, 2025

There several interesting features that single out saxophonist Ron Blake's new recording with what he refers to as his SCRATCH Band. First, the Puerto Rican-born Blake, best known for his work on tenor saxophone, plays baritone sax on five of the album's nine numbers, tenor sax on only three, tenor and soprano (separately) on one of his four original compositions, “Appointment." Second, the SCRATCH Band is actually a duo with bassist Reuben Rogers on four tracks, a trio with drummer ...

Album Review

Believers: Hard Believer

Read "Hard Believer" reviewed by Vincenzo Roggero

by Vincenzo Roggero
August 13, 2025

Veterano della scena downtown newyorchese (da ricordare almeno il Dave Douglas Tiny Bell Trio, il quartetto Pachora con Jim Black, Chris Speed e Skuli Sverrisson, le collaborazioni con Carla Bley's Escalator Over the Hill, Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra, le registrazioni con Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band o il Paradox Trio con Matt Darriau, Rufus Cappadocia e Seido Salifoski) il chitarrista Brad Shepik si è nel corso degli anni sempre più avvicinato alle musiche del mondo. Tutto ciò senza rinnegare la ...

Album Review

Rachel Eckroth & John Hadfield: Speaking In Tongues

Read "Speaking In Tongues" reviewed by Katchie Cartwright

by Katchie Cartwright
July 19, 2025

John Hadfield wrote “Blood Moon" in shocked response to learning that, in 1504, during his fourth transatlantic voyage, Christopher Columbus had used his knowledge of an upcoming Blood Moon eclipse to manipulate reluctant indigenous Jamaicans into granting him food and supplies. The Jamaicans had been fooled before by Columbus' unfair trade practices and wanted no part of him, that is until he made them believe that it was his magic that had turned the moon a fiery red-orange and caused ...