Drumming News :
For over three decades, Joe Farnsworth has been one of jazz’s most dependable drummers — a musician whose vibrant swing and relentless energy made him the go-to choice for legends like McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Benny Golson, and Harold Mabern. Now, with a new album and a fresh perspective, he’s stepping into a different role: mentor and bandleader.
Farnsworth’s new record, The Big Room, released on July 25th on the Smoke Sessions label, features a new generation of talent — including saxophonist Sarah Hanahan, vibraphonist Joel Ross, pianist Emmet Cohen, and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. The album, recorded during off-hours at New York’s Smoke Jazz Club, marks a turning point for Farnsworth. After years of playing behind the greats, he’s now guiding the next wave.
“This project is about giving back what was given to me,” Farnsworth said from his apartment in Riverdale. After the loss of several mentors — including Tyner, Sanders, and Mabern — Farnsworth began to feel the responsibility of passing on the music’s deeper traditions. “I was so used to playing through a power source I believed in 100 percent. Then I realized — it’s time to find my own voice.”
He found inspiration in “the big room,” a phrase coined by saxophonist Jackie McLean to describe a state of artistic freedom rooted in discipline. “It’s where all the things you learned fall away,” Farnsworth explained, “and now you’re free to create.”
Farnsworth’s musical path began in South Hadley, Massachusetts, guided by his father, a trumpeter and band director. He arrived in New York in 1990 and built his career from scratch — cold-calling heroes from the union directory, studying with Arthur Taylor, and eventually working his way onto the bandstands of giants.
With The Big Room, Farnsworth is doing what his mentors did for him — keeping the spirit, swing, and soul of jazz alive by passing it on.
This article is an overview of an article in the New York Times, read the original, full article – HERE
