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 drummer and composer working across modern jazz, improvised music, and artist-driven song-based projects. Known for his deep sense of time, refined dynamic control, and compositional approach to the drum set, Mayhall’s work reflects a balance between tradition, experimentation, and close musical listening. His playing emphasizes shape, texture, and interaction, allowing rhythm to function as a structural and expressive force rather than simply a driving one. Whether performing, composing, or collaborating, Matt Mayhall brings a quiet intensity and focused presence to the music, contributing a distinctive voice grounded in listening, balance, and shared creative space.

 

As a collaborator, Mayhall has worked with a wide range of artists spanning jazz, indie rock, and contemporary composition, including Jeff Parker, Chris Speed, Aimee Mann, Ted Leo, Jimmie Herrod, Gabriel Kahane, Dar Williams, and many others. This breadth of collaboration has informed a flexible musical voice equally comfortable in open improvisation, detailed song forms, and long-form ensemble contexts. 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 recorded work as a bandleader includes the albums Corduroy (2024), Fanatics (2020), and Tropes (2017). He has contributed as both a drummer and creative partner to over 50 albums. Across these projects, his playing is marked by restraint, clarity, and an attentiveness to form that supports the larger musical narrative.

 

He earned his MFA in Jazz Studies from CalArts, where his development as both a performer and composer was shaped by interdisciplinary thinking and a strong emphasis on individual artistic voice. He studied improvisation with Charlie Haden and Wadada Leo Smith, drums with Joe La Barbera, and West African drumming with Alfred Ladzekpo. This background continues to inform his approach to music-making—one rooted in curiosity, structure, and collective expression.

 

Mayhall is currently Jazz Director in the Music Department at Reed College in Portland, OR. 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.

 

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