85 Years of Rhythm: Celebrating Jesse Hameen II
Neighborhood Music School
New Haven
March 20, 2026
As Jesse Hameen II sat at his hi-hatted throne, looking every bit of 58 at the tender age of 85, Neighborhood Music School’s (NMS) teeming recital room hushed.
The legendary drummer, educator and composer began to pour out his life story. Tender drumbeats echoed each spellbinding line. We all felt the presence of a modern-day griot; Hameen was a conduit of ancient wisdom.
“Soon as I came out the womb, I was beating rhythms,” Hameen proclaimed. He chuckled as he reminisced on his first performance at New Haven’s Winchester School where he tapped on pots and pans – even a can of Chock full o’ Nuts. His face was euphoric as he recalled growing up in the Dixwell neighborhood’s thriving jazz community where he saw household names.
Then he broke into song: Hambone, Hambone, where you been? The audience gathered at NMS to pay tribute to him Friday evening gleefully joined in singing the rhythmic body percussion African American folk song that was created by slaves forbidden to use drums. That was a powerful moment of hearkening to the past and acknowledging how far we’ve come.
After our journey through Hameen’s awe-inspiring 60-year career, the rest of the ensemble joined him on stage – friends of decades. mentees and former students. Their ilk was also proudly watching from the audience. It was stirring to be surrounded by the living embodiment of Hameen’s impact.
Pianist/composer Zaccai Curtis and bassist/composer/educator Zwelakhe-Duma Bell Le Pere grew up under Hameen’s guidance when they were students at the Neighborhood Music School. Both have gone on to travel the world to acclaim while spreading their passion. They are amongst Hameen’s many celebrated proteges who frequently return to New Haven to spend time and play with him. Like a proud dad, Hameen announced that Curtis won his first Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album for his album Cubop Lives! last year. For his part, Bell Le Pere is an icon in South Africa.
Rounding out the group were jazz saxophonist/flutist/composer T.K. Blue, guitarist Rodney Jones and jazz vocalist Joy Brown. Blue and Jones have played alongside Hameen since some folks in the audience were in diapers. Between Blue, Jones and Hameen there’s practically no renowned artist that they haven’t performed with: Lena Horne, Dizzy Gillespie, Mariah Carey, Curtis Mayfield, Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders, to name a very tiny few.
Trust Hameen to not want to be the star of the show despite it being his birthday. His boundless generosity and love inspired him to invite musical luminaries for a show to not just honor him, but to celebrate the community. The price was donate-what-you wish and all proceeds went to support Hameen’s Summer Jazz Program at the Neighborhood Music School.
“For Jesse, it’s not just about him playing. It’s about sharing with everybody here and bringing them into the experience with him. It’s a conversation between the audience and the musicians, and that’s what Jesse does best,” shared Shayna Roosevelt, NMS Marketing & Communications Manager.
The world-class musicians attracted a mob, and the recital hall and corridors overflowed with people (pro-tip: arrive early when you’re seeing legends). Some people had to content themselves with merely listening from outside the hall, but their radiant faces indicated they were transcending through the experience all the same.
The performers opened with Hameen’s whimsical “Sign of the Times.” Blue’s trilling flute led the charge, threading through Curtis’ cascading piano chords and Bell Le Pere’s meaty bass line. The crowd cheered when Blue dexterously switched from his flute to his saxophone. The sax sang with a poignant melody. All the while, Hameen flexed his sticks with practiced ease, diligently beating his drums with that signature snow-white smile stuck to his face, demonstrating why people call him “Cheese.”
Hameen’s song “Sirius B.” came to him after reading a riveting history of primeval Malian people’s ability to draw the orbit of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, by hand. The lush tune evoked the sensuality of a balmy evening spent under a starlit sky. Velvet notes streamed from the saxophone. Fluid guitar runs from Jones seamlessly pulled the song together.
Then the best singer Hameen says he’s ever worked with stepped out. Vocalist Brown couldn’t have gotten a better welcome. “No pressure,” she laughed. If you had had your eyes closed when “Love is Here to Stay” began, you may have thought Dinah Washington had risen from the grave. But Brown had her own distinctive tonal inflection that infused coyness into every note.
“Joy is the last of the legends,” Hameen remarked at the song’s end.
Hameen’s tight-knit ensemble carried the audience through a range of emotional landscapes as the night wore on, and we explored both his creative mind and the jazz standards of yore. It was such a privilege to be welcomed into a musical conversation with these virtuosos. Under Curtis’ hands, the ivories shimmered, elastic and alive. Bell Le Pere’s anchoring bass lines pulsed with an understated warmth.
Blue constantly refigured the soundscape with agile transitions between the sultry saxophone and the silvery flute. Jones proved his reputation as the “singer’s guitar player,” his harmonically rich playing always in service of the melody. Brown’s warm, conversational, and quietly commanding performance transported us to a different era of radio programs and “talkies”.
At the center of it all was Hameen’s joyous, dynamically layered playing, the band’s beating heart.
Reflecting on the evening, accomplished drummer and protégé Ryan Sands beamed. “This feels incredible. Hameen and I go back all the way to 1998. I was about 4 years old, and I had just started playing. He was the teacher that took me under his wing,” he shared. “To be here to support him means the world. I remember being a kid and him picking me up in his car. Now today, I’m picked him up for his show.” The two have apparently discussed doing a double drum album for a while. Talk about a full circle moment.
Words don’t quite capture the magic of Hameen’s birthday party. The music and immersion in legacy elevated and inspired us all. Even the poor people who had to stand in the back all night with leaden legs likely found themselves floating home.
“The one thing that will never die is joy. So, we can’t let them take it from us. And this event was all about that,” reflected Noah Bloom, NMS Executive Director.
When asked what he wanted for his 90th birthday, Hameen didn’t even have to think. “Another concert!”
