Joel Ross

Vibraphone master and songwriter Joel Ross has adopted an entire ethos dependent on truthful, ongoing communication. A Blue Note artist of critically acclaimed releases KingMaker (2019), Who Are You? (2020) and, most recently, The Parable of the Poet, he regularly tops the DownBeat and Jazz Journalists Association Critics Polls for his work in the broad lineage of Black music that pulls from jazz, hip hop, church and Chicago improvised music. Now based in Brooklyn, the Chicago-born artist performs across the globe, collaborating with Makaya McCraven, Maria Grand, Kassa Overall, Nicole Mitchell, Gerald Clayton, Melissa Aldana, Walter Smith III, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Wynton Marsalis, Rajna Swaminathan, Marcus Gilmore, Brandee Younger and Marquis Hill. As a leader, he has performed at Smalls Jazz Club, The Village Vanguard, The Kennedy Center, Umbria Jazz Festival, Winter Jazz Fest, Newport Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s Club, The Blue Whale, North Sea Jazz Festival and The Brubeck Institute. His recent tour included dates at Triennale di Milano, Teatro dell’Arte and Teatro Ariston in Italy; Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, small hall, LUX Nijmegen, Lantaren Venster, Bimhuis, Rockit Festival and De Oosterpoort in The Netherlands; Ronnie Scott’s in London; Le Duc des Lombards in Paris; and Jazzclub Unterfahrt and Halle 424 in Germany, among other international venues. Ross’ residencies include appearances at Roulette Intermedium for JazzFest Berlin and Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn, and as a touring member of the Jazz Gallery All Stars band.