Joseph Allen Farnsworth (born February 21, 1968, in Holyoke, Massachusetts) is an American jazz drummer.

Farnsworth in 2013

Farnsworth was one of five sons born to trumpeter and bandleader Roger Farnsworth; one of the brothers played saxophone in Ray Charles's band. He attended High School in Jakarta International School in Jakarta, Indonesia. He studied at William Paterson College, studying under Harold Mabern and Arthur Taylor and receiving his BMus in 1990. Following this he 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). He was a member of Pharoah Sanders' band.

Discography edit

As leader edit

  • Beautiful Friendship (Criss Cross, 1999)
  • It's Prime Time (441 Records, 2004)
  • My Heroes (Venus, 2014)
  • Time to Swing (Smoke Sessions, 2020)
  • City of Sounds (Smoke Sessions, 2021)

As sideman edit

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 edit