BIO

Hank Allen-Barfield is a young, up and coming jazz drummer in New York City. Born and raised in Sacramento, California, Hank picked up the drums at age 10 after being influenced by his father, John Allen, who was a successful professional musician in the nineties.

Hank finished his undergraduate studies in 2021 at William Paterson University, and finished his graduate studies in 2024 at the prestigious Juilliard School. While in school, he had the opportunity to study with Joe Farnsworth, Kenny Washington, Billy Drummond, Bill Charlap, Vincent Herring, Harold Mabern and many others. Since moving to New York City, Hank’s reputation of being a hard hitting and swinging drummer spread quickly, and he has had the opportunity to perform at venues such as Smalls, Mezzrow, Smoke Jazz Club, Birdland Dizzy’s Club and Cola, Cafe Bohemia, The Jazz Forum, the Kennedy Center, Black Cat SF, and the Django among others. Hank regularly leads his own band at Smalls Jazz Club and the Django, and recently has been a part of groups led by Samara Joy, Vincent Herring, Jerry Weldon, Jeb Patton, Bruce Harris, Mike Ledonne, Ray Gallon, Julius Rodriguez, Sarah Hanahan, and a multitude of others.

Hank endorses Paiste Cymbals.

Hank holds multiple weekly residencies with his own band in New York City, one being at the famed Cafe Bohemia on Wednesday nights where he leads jam sessions. On top of this, he also holds a monthly residency at The Django, and a weekly residency at Lucilles with the Ruben Fox Quartet on Thursday nights. You can find out more about where he is playing next in the upcoming shows tab.