Matt Mayhall
Matt Mayhall
“Matt Mayhall’s drums burn with a self-contained fury; at other times, he develops a rhythmic chatter that accentuates the poetry of the beats… [His music] shows just how strong subtlety can resonate, and how nuance can be the driving force of creative vision.” - Bandcamp Daily
Matt Mayhall is a dynamic drummer, composer and bandleader known for his deep musicianship and versatility across genres. An artist “who rolls his diverse skills into one untidy, rumbling package” (Modern Drummer), he has collaborated with visionaries Jeff Parker, Chris Speed, and Mike Kelley, as well as songwriting luminaries Aimee Mann, Ted Leo, and Dar Williams.
Characterized by Downbeat as “a dreamy soup stressing group composition over individual exhibition,” Mayhall’s original music aims to balance the strange and beautiful while possessing a spacious, unhurried feel. His most recent recorded work includes the EP TV Baby by his Portland-based ensemble Sound Creation Trio, as well as Corduroy, a collaborative project with alto saxophonist Peter Epstein and bassist Sam Minaie. He has released two albums and one live EP of his own compositions - Picture Day (2021), Fanatics (2020), and Tropes (2016) - all highlighting his collaborative relationships with guitarist Jeff Parker, saxophonist Chris Speed, bassists Paul Bryan and Tim Lefebvre, and keyboardists Jeff Babko and Adam Benjamin.
His work as an improviser has also brought him into contact with many progressive voices in jazz, including Bennie Maupin, Ron Carter, Ethan Iverson, Brad Shepik, David Binney, Todd Sickafoose, Eyvind Kang, Anthony Wilson, Ralph Alessi, George Colligan, Dan Rosenboom, and Eric Revis.
​​Mayhall’s decades-long penchant for flitting between ensembles and collaborating with artists of different stripes is demonstrated most notably through his work with The Both (a power-pop trio with Aimee Mann and Ted Leo), with Aimee Mann in support of her Grammy-winning album Mental Illness, and with folk singer Dar Williams. He starred alongside Fred Armisen and Bill Hader in the IFC series Documentary Now! as a member of the fictitious soft-rock group Blue Jean Committee.
He also spent several years in the band Spain led by Josh Haden, the son of legendary jazz bassist Charlie Haden. Matt appears alongside the Haden Triplets on Spain’s The Morning Becomes Eclectic Session, and alongside Charlie Haden on the album Sargent Place, Haden’s last recorded performance before his death in 2014.
Mayhall holds an MFA in Jazz Studies from California Institute Of The Arts, where he studied drums with Joe La Barbera, improvisation with Charlie Haden and Wadada Leo Smith, and West African drumming with Alfred Ladzekpo. He holds both BM and MM degrees in Percussion from the University of Nevada Reno. He has been a guest artist and instructor at University of Southern California, Metropolitan State University Denver, Willamette University and New York University. He has served on the faculty at Musicians Institute, Fresno State, and University of Nevada Reno. He is endorsed by Gretsch Drums, Sabian Cymbals, and Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets.
