Biography
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, percussionist/drummer Jamey Haddad holds a singular position in the world of jazz and contemporary music. Haddad’s musical voice transcends styles and trends, and the universal quality of his playing has attracted many international collaborations. Born of Lebanese descent, he is regarded as one of the foremost world music and jazz percussionists in the United States.
Haddad has been voted one of the top world percussionists across the globe by several entities, most recently by the DRUM! magazine. He collaborates regularly with Osvaldo Golijov, Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Joe Lovano, Elliot Goldenthal, Brazil’s Assad Brothers, Daniel Schnyder, Simon Shaheen, the Paul Winter Consort, Nancy Wilson, Dave Liebman, Esperanza Spalding, Maya Beiser, Trichy Sankaran, vocalist Betty Buckley, Steve Shehan, Leo Blanco, Nguyen Lee, and others. He has been a member of Paul Simon’s band since 2000.
In collaboration with the Cleveland Orchestra, Haddad curates and performs on its Fridays @ 7 series, which combines a short classical program with an after-concert performance by a world music ensemble chosen by Haddad. This series has been embraced enthusiastically by audiences and musicians alike and has resulted in a significant increase of first-time attendees at Severance Hall concerts.
Haddad also has contributed to the renowned Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. He has aided with the acquisition of instruments from around the world for the geographical galleries and continues to consult with the museum on instrument curation and program development.
He joined the faculty of Oberlin Conservatory in 2011, where he is professor of advanced improvisation and percussion.
