Jamison Ross

Florida-born drummer/vocalist Jamison Ross is a deft, fluid percussionist and gifted gospel-influenced singer. His sound emanates from the intersection of R&B, gospel, blues, and neo-soul. Jamison, his Concord debut album, appeared in 2015 and was nominated for a Grammy. He followed it with the charting All for One in 2018. In 2019 he co-founded Affective Music with David S. Hargrett, an independent label and management company. Ross produced Mykal Kilgore's "Let Me Go" a Grammy-nominated single for the label, as well as the singer's 2019 album, A Man Born Black. In 2022 Ross released JAMO, his soul-drenched third album for the label. Raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Ross grew up singing in his grandfather's church and began playing drums at age three. By the age of 15, he was already leading the church band as Minister of Music. Encouraged by his mother to pursue music formally, Ross took drum lessons throughout elementary school and attended high school at the prestigious Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. While there, Ross played in the jazz band and won top honors at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition -- an experience captured in the 2007 documentary film Chops. After high school, Ross earned his B.A. in jazz studies from Florida State University. He relocated to New Orleans, where he furthered his education, earning his Master's degree from the University of New Orleans. Choosing to stay there, Ross found work with a bevy of name artists, including vocalist Carmen Lundy, Dr. John, pianist Ramsey Lewis, gospel singer Byron Cage, and others. In 2012, Ross won the 25th annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, and garnered a recording contract with Concord Records. Two years later, he released his debut solo album for the label, the R&B- and gospel-infused Jamison. Well-received, the album garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Following a tour, he guested on albums by Eric Reed (A Light in Darkness), Jon Cleary (Dyna-Mite), and the Soul Rebels (Poetry in Motion). In 2018, Ross returned with his sophomore Concord album All for One, featuring contributions from pianist Chris Pattishall, guitarist Rick Lollar, bassist Barry Stephenson, and organist Cory Irvin. Winning international acclaim, it resulted in a national tour. In 2019, he co-founded Affective Music with David S. Hargrett, a soul-focused independent record label and management company. Ross produced, Mykal Kilgore's "Let Me Go" as their first release; it also received a Grammy nomination. Later that year he produced and played on the singer's album, A Man Born Black. Ross toured as a drummer with Snarky Puppy, played drums on Jazzmeia Horn's Love and Liberation. Its Japanese version included two bonus cuts that featured Ross's vocals adding to tunes by George Duke and Johnny Mercer. Ross spent the pandemic tapping deep into his soul influences -- among them Marvin Gaye, Rance Allen, and Al Green -- as well as writing songs. Saturated in the influences of his forbears, he returned to recording and issued the soul-drenched JAMO as his third album. It appeared from Affective Music in September, 2022.
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