Joe Farnsworth

Farnsworth in 2013

Joseph Allen Farnsworth (born February 21, 1968, in South Hadley, Massachusetts[1]) is an American jazz drummer.

Farnsworth was the youngest of five sons born to Roger Farnsworth, a well-known music teacher, trumpeter, and bandleader.[2] His father introduced all of his sons to music of all kinds, but particularly jazz.[3] His brothers included: John (eldest, trombone and saxophone),[4][5] James (saxophone), Paul, and David (drums).[6] His brother James played baritone saxophone in Ray Charles's band from 1992 until his death in 1999.,[7][8] while his brother John is a professional jazz saxophonist.[9]

He attended South Hadley High School, Massachusetts,[10] then William Paterson College, where he studied under Harold Mabern and drummers Arthur Taylor and Alan Dawson.[11] He received his BMus in 1990.

Following this, he moved to New York City in the early 1990s and played with Junior Cook (1991), Jon Hendricks (1991), Jon Faddis (1992), George Coleman, Cecil Payne (1993 and subsequently), Annie Ross, and Benny Green (1995). He has played in the group One for All since 1995 with David Hazeltine and Jim Rotondi, and worked with Benny Golson, Steve Davis, and Eric Alexander in the second half of the 1990s. During that period he also played with Alex Graham (1995), Michael Weiss (1996, 1998), the Three Baritone Saxophone Band (1997), and Diana Krall (1999-2000).[12] He was a member of Pharoah Sanders' band.

In July 2025, Farnsworth released the album The Big Room which spent one week at #1 on the JazzWeek chart for jazz radio play.[13]

Discography

As leader

  • Beautiful Friendship (Criss Cross, 1999)
  • It's Prime Time (Venus, 2003)
  • My Heroes (Venus, 2014)
  • Time to Swing (Smoke Sessions, 2020)
  • City of Sounds (Smoke Sessions, 2021)
  • In What Direction Are You Headed? (Smoke Session Records, 2023)
  • The Big Room (Smoke Session Records, 2025)

As sideman

With Eric Alexander

With Junior Cook

With Steve Davis

  • Dig Deep (Criss Cross, 1996)
  • Crossfire (Criss Cross, 1997)
  • Vibe Up (Criss Cross, 1998)
  • Portrait in Sound (Stretch, 2000)
  • Systems Blue (Criss Cross, 2001)
  • Update (Criss Cross, 2006)
  • Eloquence (JLP, 2009)
  • Say When (Smoke Sessions, 2015)

With Benny Golson

With Mike LeDonne

With Brian Lynch

With Harold Mabern

With Cecil Payne

With Pharoah Sanders

With Jesse van Ruller

  • Here and There (Criss Cross, 2002)

With Cedar Walton

With Michael Weiss

  • Power Station (DIW, 1997)
  • Milestones (SteepleChase, 1999)
  • Soul Journey (Sintra, 2003)

References

  1. ^ "Joe Farnsworth Musician - All About Jazz".
  2. ^ "Time to swing: Jazz drummer and South Hadley native Joe Farnsworth returns to the Valley for a concert honoring his idol, Max Roach". 25 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Time to swing: Jazz drummer and South Hadley native Joe Farnsworth returns to the Valley for a concert honoring his idol, Max Roach". 25 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Joe Farnsworth Musician - All About Jazz".
  5. ^ "John Farnsworth Musician - All About Jazz".
  6. ^ "Time to swing: Jazz drummer and South Hadley native Joe Farnsworth returns to the Valley for a concert honoring his idol, Max Roach". 25 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Joe Farnsworth jazz drummer".
  8. ^ "Joe Farnsworth Musician - All About Jazz".
  9. ^ "John Farnsworth Musician - All About Jazz".
  10. ^ "Time to swing: Jazz drummer and South Hadley native Joe Farnsworth returns to the Valley for a concert honoring his idol, Max Roach". 25 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Time to swing: Jazz drummer and South Hadley native Joe Farnsworth returns to the Valley for a concert honoring his idol, Max Roach". 25 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Joe Farnsworth Musician - All About Jazz".
  13. ^ "Jazz Chart". JazzWeek. September 15, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.

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