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Grammy-nominated jazz drummer Joe Farnsworth's new album 'The Big Room' features a group of fabulous musicians

WBGO | By Sheila Anderson
Published July 17, 2025 at 9:21 AM EDT
Joe Farnsworth
Matt Baker
Joe Farnsworth

Grammy-nominated and highly acclaimed jazz drummer, leader and educator Joe Farnsworth's latest release The Big Room will be out July 25 on the Smoke Sessions Records.

Joe Farnsworth
courtesy of the artist
Joe Farnsworth

Farnsworth is joined by trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, pianist Emmet Cohen, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, saxophonist Sarah Hanahan and vibraphonist Joel Ross.

Joe Farnsworth
Matt Baker
Joe Farnsworth

Taking a moment while touring, Farnsworth spoke with his long-time friend and WBGO NightByrds co-thost Sheila Anderson. They talked about his career and working with younger musicians on The Big Room.

WBGO's NightByrds co-host Sheila Anderson chats with jazz drummer Joe Farnsworth
Doug Doyle/Zoom
WBGO's NightByrds co-host Sheila Anderson chats with jazz drummer Joe Farnsworth

You can SEE Sheila Anderson's entire interview with Joe Farnsworth below.
Tags
Music Joe FarnsworthEmmet CohenJeremy PeltJoel RossSarah HanahanThe Big RoomSheila AndersonJazz
Sheila Anderson
In 1995 Sheila E. Anderson joined the staff of WBGO in Newark, New Jersey where she hosts Weekend Jazz Overnight and Salon Sessions. She has authored four books: The Quotable Musician: From Bach to Tupac (2003), How to Grow as A Musician: What All Musicians Must Know to Succeed (2005) (both published by Allworth Press), The Little Red Book of Musicians Wisdom (Skyhorse Press, 2012) and the 2nd edition of How to Grow as A Musician was published in 2019,

In addition to curating jazz at the Newark Museum of Art, Ms. Anderson is a 2017 Columbia University Community Scholar, an inaugural Dan
Morgenstern Fellow by the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers-Newark
(2020), is a graduate of Baruch College and resides in Harlem, NYC.
See stories by Sheila Anderson