John Wadham

8+ albums

listen to works

Spotify

Listen on Spotify

→

♪

Apple Music

Listen on Apple Music

→

YouTube Music

Listen on YouTube Music

→

about

John Wadham (born in Croydon in 1936; died 22 September 2003) was a jazz drummer known as "The Wad". He lived most of his life in the Dalkey area of Dublin, Ireland, and, as well as performing, taught and inspired several generations of Irish jazz musicians. Over his career, he played in various bands, big and small, organised by Jim Doherty and by Noel Kelehan, including Jim Doherty Trio and Noel Kelehan Quintet. In addition, he played with many jazz greats, including the altoist Benny Carter, baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, trumpeters Art Farmer and Joe Newman, tenors Zoot Sims and Spike Robinson, and he even played under the baton of composer/arranger Elmer Bernstein. He also played on European tours backing the Great Guitars package of Barney Kessel, Charlie Byrd and Herb Ellis. Soprano saxophonist and clarinettist Bob Wilber, a virtuoso whose style was rooted in jazz of the 1920s, also hired him. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.