The winner of the 2012 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Drums Competition is also a winning vocalist, as he demonstrated on his 2015 debut album Jamison on Concord Jazz. “At the time I recorded that album, people knew me as a drummer,” he recalls. “They didn’t know I could sing, and I wanted to merge my gifts.” A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Ross began his music journey at his grandfather’s church, where he sang and played drums. He continued to study music at Douglas Anderson High School and subsequently earned a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Studies at Florida State University. He then attended the University of New Orleans, where he earned a Master of Music. In 2009, Ross was invited to the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Residency at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. There he connected with Grammy-award winning singer/songwriter Carmen Lundy, who invited the 19-year-old drummer to join her band. Jamison would go on to record with Lundy on Lundy’s Changes and Soul to Soul. His self-titled debut was recorded in New Orleans and featured guest appearances by pianist and Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Ross’ 2018 sophomore release on Concord Jazz, All For One, takes listeners a level deeper into his ethos, further solidifying his reputation as one of his generation’s brightest young talents. (Photo courtesy of Jamison Ross)

By Bill Milkowski (Credit: PASTE)