Jamison Ross

Florida-born percussionist and vocalist Jamison Ross blends precision and expressiveness at the drum kit with a voice steeped in gospel traditions. His music fuses elements of R&B, gospel, blues, and neo-soul. The self-titled Jamison marked his 2015 debut on Concord and earned a Grammy nomination. Two years later came the charting follow-up All for One. Alongside David S. Hargrett he established Affective Music in 2019, an independent label and management firm focused on soul. For that imprint Ross helmed Mykal Kilgore’s Grammy-nominated single “Let Me Go” and the vocalist’s 2019 full-length A Man Born Black. His third album, the soul-drenched JAMO, surfaced on Affective Music in 2022.

Raised in Jacksonville, Ross sang in his grandfather’s church and started drumming at age three. By fifteen he served as Minister of Music directing the church ensemble. At his mother’s urging he studied drums formally through elementary school before enrolling at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, where he performed in the jazz band and secured first place at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition—an event documented in the 2007 film Chops. He later completed a B.A. in jazz studies at Florida State University.

Ross moved to New Orleans and obtained a master’s degree from the University of New Orleans. Remaining in the city, he collaborated with artists such as vocalist Carmen Lundy, Dr. John, pianist Ramsey Lewis, and gospel singer Byron Cage. In 2012 he claimed first prize at the 25th annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, which led to a Concord recording deal. The label issued his debut solo project, the R&B- and gospel-infused Jamison, in 2014; it received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album.

After touring he contributed to Eric Reed’s A Light in Darkness, Jon Cleary’s Dyna-Mite, and the Soul Rebels’ Poetry in Motion. Ross reemerged in 2018 with the sophomore Concord release All for One, featuring pianist Chris Pattishall, guitarist Rick Lollar, bassist Barry Stephenson, and organist Cory Irvin. The album drew widespread praise and supported an extensive national tour. That same year he and David S. Hargrett launched Affective Music. Their initial project, Mykal Kilgore’s “Let Me Go,” earned a Grammy nomination; Ross also produced and performed on Kilgore’s album A Man Born Black later in 2019. He drummed on tour with Snarky Puppy and on Jazzmeia Horn’s Love and Liberation, whose Japanese edition added two bonus tracks showcasing Ross’s vocals on songs associated with George Duke and Johnny Mercer.

During the pandemic Ross immersed himself in the work of Marvin Gaye, Rance Allen, and Al Green while composing new material. Saturated with those influences, he recorded and released the soul-drenched JAMO on Affective Music in September 2022.