I think of one who’s comparable with straight-ahead, yet more versatile, but damn, she swings like a windblown willow tree. She flips out rimshots, tom-tom thumps, triplets, and paradiddles with the accenting flair of a master linguist. The language is jazz but you feel it sooner than you comprehend it, which is the way it should play.
— Kevin Lynch, Shepherd Express
Drummer, Singer, Humorist
Hannah Johnson provides an adventurous and joyful approach to her musical endeavors. Hannah’s desire to express herself in various genres keeps her busy composing and playing drums within the jazz idiom as well as folk + indie music.
In her Milwaukee based quartet, Heirloom, she brings a mesmerizing optimism and compositional voice. Her awe of rhythm, emotive harmonic structures and a touch of chaos drives Hannah's musical approach. You can hear her enriched sound within her song "ISF" - a harmonically elusive yet personable homage to Duke Ellington’s “Isfahan.”
Hannah has become a highly sought-after side musician, playing with numerous regional and international artists and bands. She recently toured with soul and R&B artist, Durand Jones, who opened for country musician, Orville Peck, on his North American “Stampede Tour”.
In addition to Hannah's drumming, her voice soothes and soars within her songwriting as seen in her debut album with the band Finding Frances in 2023. You can find Hannah's song "Scotland" on their album For Flowers Yet to Bloom.
Hannah began her drum studies in high school with Milwaukee native Dave Bayles. After graduating from the IU Jacobs School of Music, Hannah returned to her hometown where she is a favored drummer in the local jazz scene.
She also works as an educator teaching in numerous capacities within the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Falls School of Music, as well as her private home studio.