Hayes Greenfield

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Hayes or Haze Greenfield (born July 7, 1957 as Harold Greenfield) is an American jazz saxophonist (alto and C-melody saxophone), arranger, film composer, educator, and author.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Greenfield was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, and began playing piano aged five, drums aged 10, and saxophone from the age of 15. [1] He graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in 1975, [2] and then studied at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. [1] From 1980 to 1985, he took private lessons with Hal Galper, Jaki Byard, and George Coleman.

Career

Greenfield released his first album, All About You, in 1987 on Blackhawk Records with Ray Drummond, Jaki Byard, Tom Harrell, Jim Greenfield, Newman Baker, Michael Carillo, and Miguel Fuentez. [3] [4] [5] Jazz critic Len Dobbin described it as an "impressive debut". [5] Another jazz critic wrote, "Greenfield can drive with a hard boppish edge on tenor but just as easily slip into lyrical, seamless designs on soprano sax. ... [He] pays tribute to jazz traditions and innovators in the most positive way, avoiding slavish copying. Recommended." [4]

His 2005 album Peace of Mind was described as "a thoroughly enjoyable and palatable listen, a sonic equivalent of a painting with a wide array of colors all complementing each other." The reviewer considered Greenfield "a traditional composer and a good one, with attention to attractive melodies, harmony, and form. ... He is convincing as a singer, too ... his voice is smooth and smoky, with a slight edge of rasp". [6] In 2007, he released two albums, which, according to a reviewer in All About Jazz , both "show[] his proficiency as a composer and saxophonist and the way that his writing and playing style recalls the great songs and jazzmen of the glorious past." [7]

Greenfield produced two albums for children. A reviewer in All About Jazz described the first, the 1998 album Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz, as "pure jazz of the highest quality" that "isn't just for the children. Under his leadership, the session swings hard and reveals plenty of hot soloing." [8] Another reviewer compared it favourably to albums for children by "easily recognizable names," saying "Hayes Greenfield's jazz renditions of kids' tunes are so well produced and true to form, adults will enjoy listening along with their little ones." [9] His second release for children was Music for a Green Planet, in 2008. Greenfield and an environmental activist from New York, Margo Schepart, wrote new words with an environmental messages for tunes familiar to children. [10] One reviewer described the songs as "surprisingly palatable", while the jazz was "hot - and very cool". [11]

From 1993 to 2000, Greenfield was head of the music department at a New York City enrichment center for children at risk. [12] In 1997, he founded Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz, a music education program which provides workshops and interactive concerts for children, in which about 20,000 children participate each year across the United States. [10] [12] He introduces children to jazz by playing jazz versions of popular music tunes, [13] including theme songs from the Flintstones [14] and the Simpsons. [15] Greenfield has also worked as artist-in-residence at schools. [16] In 2024 he published Creative Sound Play for Young Learners - A Teacher’s Guide to Enhancing Transition Times, Classroom Communities, SEL, and Executive Function Skills. [17] [2]

Discography

As leader or co-leader

Collaborations

Film Scores

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The R&R New Music Guide" (PDF). R&R New Music. Fall 1987. p. 56. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  2. 1 2 Ventre, Phil (Winter 2024). "Creative Sound Play for Young Learners". Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin. p. 60. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  3. ↑ Haze Greenfield - All About You, 1987, retrieved 2025-02-04
  4. 1 2 3 Moody, Lois (Aug 19, 1988). "Sparkling jazz-classical session from clarinetist Daniels's band". The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. p. 24. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Dobbin, Len (Aug 18, 1988). "A new crop of albums to whet the jazz appetite". The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. p. 52. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  6. 1 2 Lonergan, Brian P. (August 19, 2005). "Hayes Greenfield: Peace of Mind". All About Jazz. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 Holmes, Terrell Kent (February 2, 2008). "Hayes Greenfield: Because of You! & Duo + One". AllAboutJazz. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  8. 1 2 Santella, Jim (August 30, 2006). "Hayes Greenfield: Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  9. 1 2 Moore, Deborah (May 13, 1999). "Mainstream entertainers are marketed to children". The Rutherford Courier. Smyrna, Tennessee. p. 11. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 Hughes, Jennifer V. (May 16, 2008). "Jazzman with an eco-mindset". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. p. G12. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  11. 1 2 Heffley, Lynne (May 7, 2008). "Gunnar Madsen and others take over where the itsy-bitsy spider leaves off". The Times-Tribune. Scranton, Pennsylvania. Los Angeles Times. p. C5. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  12. 1 2 Heffley, Lynne (August 15, 2005). "Traveling school of jazz is kid-friendly". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. E3. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  13. ↑ Kemp, Vivek (February 2, 2007). "Hit It, Boys - Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz". The Naples Daily News. Naples, Florida. p. 1D. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  14. ↑ Kemp, Vivek (February 2, 2007). "Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz cont'd". The Naples Daily News. Naples, Florida. p. 8D. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  15. ↑ Pierre, Caleb; Ruiz, Joshua (April 7, 2004). "Where jazz is way cool". Newsday. New York, New York. p. B15. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  16. ↑ Miguel, Tracy X. (March 5, 2006). "'Nourishment for the soul'". The Naples Daily News. Naples, Florida. p. 4B. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  17. ↑ "Creative Sound Play for Young Learners: A Teacher's Guide to Enhancing Transition Times, Classroom Communities, SEL, and Executive Function Skills". Routledge & CRC Press. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Hayes Greenfield credits". TV Guide. Retrieved 19 February 2025.


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