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Percussionist John Hadfield's dedication to bending genres has taken him from the jungles of Indonesia to concert halls and clubs across the world. At home in New York, Time Out New York has recently pointed out "John Hadfield's percussion is so impeccable."
John Hadfield has released two records of his own compositions, mainly written for percussion instruments and electronics but also including guitar, harp, violin and cello –The Eye of Gordon (2008) and Displaced (2010). He is currently on the Jazz faculty of New York University, where he teaches drum set and the World Percussion Ensemble.
Bringing together distinct domains of expertise and traditions –including, but not limited to classical percussion, Hindustani and Carnatic music, jazz, rock, and electronic music, John has developed unique ways of performing with multiple percussion instruments simultaneously. He has been exploring the sonic and kinetic possibilities resulting from the combination of multiple instruments and electronics (such as Ableton Live). His compositions typically involve a wide range of sounds –from the most traditional such as the drum set to the classical Indian Kanjira or Ghatam to found objects such as bicycle wheels, pieces of metal and ventilation tubes.
John Hadfield's varied expertise has allowed him to perform with a broad range of ensembles and artists including: Yo-Yo Ma, The Silk Road Ensemble, The Saturday Night Live Band on NBC, Bang on a Can, The Michael Gordon Band, The HUM Ensemble, Sky White Tiger, Deep Purple, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, Combo Nuvo, Daniel Hope, The Bassam Saba Ensemble, Ethos Percussion Group and Gamelan Dharma Swara.
While performing with jazz groups, John Hadfield has worked alongside Lenny Pickett, Kenny Werner, George Garzone, Billy Drewes, Gil Goldstein, Andrew D'Angelo, Bobby Watson, Satoshi Takeshi, Brad Shepik, Mike Richmond and Erik Friedlander.
John Hadfield has also collaborated on more than 60 recordings as a guest artist, including the GRAMMY award winner Yo-Yo Ma and Friends, Songs of Joy and Peace (SONY BMG 2008).
As Downtown Music Gallery founder Bruce Lee Gallanter has summed up in one of his reviews of John's records, "[w]hat makes this special is that Mr. Hadfield knows how to use percussion in a more organic way that rarely deals with any sort of (logical or overused) beats, yet the music remains consistently fascinating throughout."
Short Bio:
Percussionist John Hadfield's dedication to bending genres has taken him from the jungles of Indonesia to concert halls and clubs across the world. At home in New York, Time Out New York has recently pointed out "John Hadfield's percussion is so impeccable."
John Hadfield has released two records of his own compositions, mainly written for percussion instruments and electronics but also including guitar, harp, violin and cello –The Eye of Gordon (2008) and Displaced (2010). He is currently on the Jazz faculty of New York University, where he teaches drum set and the World Percussion Ensemble.
John Hadfield's varied expertise has allowed him to perform with a broad range of ensembles and artists including: Yo-Yo Ma, The Silk Road Ensemble, The Saturday Night Live Band on NBC, Bang on a Can,The HUM Ensemble, Sky White Tiger, Deep Purple, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, Combo Nuvo, Daniel Hope, Ethos Percussion Group and Gamelan Dharma Swara.
While performing with jazz groups, John Hadfield has worked alongside Lenny Pickett, Kenny Werner, George Garzone, Billy Drewes, Gil Goldstein, Andrew D'Angelo, Bobby Watson, Satoshi Takeshi, Brad Shepik, Mike Richmond and Erik Friedlander.
John Hadfield has also collaborated on more than 60 recordings as a guest artist, including the GRAMMY award winner Yo-Yo Ma and Friends, Songs of Joy and Peace (SONY BMG 2008).
