Hayes Greenfield

As an Electro-Acoustic, Looping, Spatial and Immersive Musician…

Hayes Greenfield is an Electro-Acoustic looping artist and musician who thrives on continually challenging his musical boundaries. Whether playing in an all acoustic setting or plugging into and processing his instruments through an extensive rig of guitar effects pedals and loopers, Hayes’ music is always personal, in the moment, and filled with rich, musical journeys that draws from his expansive musical history.

Prior to Covid-19, Hayes performed in quad and placed four speakers, one in each corner of the room surrounding his audience. This enabled him to have total control to move his layers of music 360 degrees around the room in surround sound. But given the loss of live performance, Hayes was driven to search out the next level of cutting edge technology, which enables all listeners worldwide to simply wear everyday headphones or earbuds to hear and enjoy all of the motion of his spatial and immersive music. Now, whether streaming a live performance or listening to a video using headphones and earbuds, everyone can hear Hayes’ music swirl, twist, bend, and dance around their heads in spatial, immersive, listening bliss. Just close your eyes, unwind your mind, and let your being wander about. 

Like any serious artist, Hayes’ choice of equipment is key to assuring his consistent success in creating all of his music on the highest most personal level possible. For that reason, Hayes is both proud and grateful to be endorsed by Yamaha, Vandoren, Eventide and K&K Sound. 

Where it begins is with his sound and as an acoustic jazz saxophonist, Hayes uses Vandoren reeds, mouthpieces and ligatures, and plays a Yamaha 82 Custom Z alto saxophone. Together, they enable Hayes to create an incredibly personal, warm, flexible, rich, alto saxophone sound.  Then, when plugging into his electro side, along with a mic which captures his acoustic sound, Hayes uses a K&K Hot Spot pick-up taped to his reed to send his sound through four Eventide H9 guitar effects pedals, an H90, and an Eventide Rose delay pedal. Together these pedals deliver an infinite springboard of sonic sounds, colors, complexities, textures, and ranges which he paints, and sculpts into compelling musical journeys that can bend time.

As Jazz Player…

Hayes has been living, working, and performing as both sideman, session player and leader with his own bands in New York City.  He has earned awards in all of his endeavors, has released 10 critically acclaimed CD's under his own name, and traveled throughout the US, Canada, and Europe performing at international festivals, concerts, and clubs with his own bands.  Notable jazz artists Hayes has worked with as leader and / or sideman include: Jaki Byard, Rashied Ali, Paul Bley, Richie Havens, Danny “Big Black” Ray, Adam Nussbaum, Jay Anderson, Hiram Bullock, Barry Altschul, Bob Cranshaw, Gil Goldstein, Bob Stewart, Charenee Wade, Mike Clark, Vincent Chancy, Jorge Sylvester, Billy Byers, Tony Scott, Joe Lee Wilson, Dean Johnson, David Berkman, Victor Jones, Tony Reedus, Tom Harrell, Ray Drummond, Norman Simmons, Paul Socolow, Leroy Williams, Frank Lacey, Leonard Gaskin, Jerome Harris, Denis Charles, Bill Ware, Frank Kimbrough, Uri Caine, Victor Jones, Roger Rosenberg, Myles Griffith, Todd Turkisher, Tony Moreno, Rob Garcia, Dave Hofstra, Sunny Jain and many others. 

As Composer…

As film composer, Hayes has scored more than 70 films, documentaries, commercials, animations, and TV specials, many of which have received awards, including the prestigious Emmy (George Marshall and the American Century) two Tellys, (The Nature of Modernism: E. Stewart Williams; and William Krisel, Architect) and New York Festivals Silver Award (In Search of Resolution). Other notable films Hayes has scored include: The American Nurse (2014), the PBS films America Rebuilds: A Year at Ground Zero (2002); Return to Ground Zero (2006); Building Alaska (2010); and Alaska, the World, and Wally Hickel (2013); luminary artists Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella, Grace Hartigan, James Rosenquist and Milton Glaser; architects Philip Johnson, Donald Wexler; United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins; photographer Jan Groover; writer George Plimpton and the Paris Review; The Berlin Airlift, and Russia’s Future for the New Millennium. In 1988 using the Synclavier - the first available DAW (digital audio workstation) Hayes scored The Little Death, the first HD (high definition) computer animation created by SONY and Symbolics.