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Hank Allen-Barfield

Hank Allen-Barfield is a young, up and coming jazz drummer in New York City. Born and raised in Sacramento, California, Hank picked up the drums at age 10 after being influenced by his father, John Allen, who was a successful professional musician in the nineties.

 

Hank finished his undergraduate studies in 2021 at the prestigious William Paterson University where he had the opportunity to study with Joe Farnsworth, Bill Goodwin, Bill Charlap, Mike Ledonne, Harold Mabern and many others. Since moving to New York City, Hank’s reputation of being a hard hitting and swinging drummer spread quickly, and has since been a regular performer at clubs such as Smalls, Smoke Jazz Club, Dizzy’s Club and Cola, Cafe Bohemia, The Jazz Forum, and the Django among others. On top of being a NYC based musician, Hank has had the opportunity to travel overseas and around the United States to play, most notably to Dubai. Hank regularly leads his own band at Cafe Bohemia and the Django, and recently has been a part of groups led by 2x Grammy Award Winner Samara Joy, Vincent Herring, Jerry Weldon, Bruce Harris, Erena Terakubo, Mike Ledonne, Julius Rodriguez and a multitude of others. On top of being a full time musician, Hank is currently pursuing his masters degree and graduate studies at the Juilliard School.

Hank endorses Paiste Cymbals.

Gear

Paiste Cymbals


Tags

5
Album Review

Jacob Chung: Live At Frankie's Jazz Club

Read "Live At Frankie's Jazz Club" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Boss tenor Jacob Chung is back, performing Live at Frankie's Jazz Club in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is the reed master's second recording for Cory Weeds' Cellar Music Group (following 2024's The Sage), this time leading a quartet rather than a quintet as he did on that earlier album. Chung, who moved from Toronto to New York City to study with saxophonist Vincent Herring, his front- line partner on The Sage, learned his lessons well and puts ...

3
Album Review

Jacob Chung: Live At Frankie's Jazz Club

Read "Live At Frankie's Jazz Club" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


Tenor saxophonist Jacob Chung's Live At Frankie's Jazz Club captures fresh performances of music that feel like a snapshot of deep friendship filtered through the lens of timeless jazz language. Recorded live at Vancouver, BC's iconic venue, Chung is joined by pianist Tyler Henderson, bassist Caleb Tobocman, and drummer Hank Allen-Barfield. These three equally talented musicians do not just accompany but actively engage in lively musical conversation. The program, a mix of jazz and popular standards, along with a few ...

24
Album Review

Saul Dautch: Music for the People

Read "Music for the People" reviewed by Jack Bowers


It is always a pleasure to hear a straight-ahead contemporary jazz quintet whose front line consists of baritone sax and trumpet, especially when it is as well-drawn as Florida-bred baritone Saul Dautch's debut recording, Music for the People, on which he shares melodic assignments with trumpeter Noah Halpern and, to a lesser extent, pianist Miki Yamanaka. Music for the People means what it says: stylish yet accessible small-group jazz aimed at reaching the widest possible audience. Seven ...

3
Album Review

Tyler Henderson: Love Endures

Read "Love Endures" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


Pianist Tyler Henderson's Love Endures is a rare artifact of musical honesty, an album that trades studio gloss for the imperfect magic of real-time interaction. Recorded in the attic of a house owned by a devoted jazz aficionado in Vancouver, BC, the session's unusual environment--unadorned acoustics, no headphones, no overdubs--sets the tone for a recording that is as much about listening as it is about playing. Accompanied by bassist Caleb Tobocman and drummer Hank Allen-Barfield, Henderson delivers a statement, mixing ...

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Primary Instrument

Drums

Location

New York City

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Music for the People

Self Produced
2025

buy

Love Endures

Cellar Music Group
2025

buy

Live At Frankie's...

Cellar Music Group
2025

buy

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