Book Joel Ross

Joel Ross is a Brooklyn-based jazz vibraphonist from Chicago's South Side and one of the leading young voices on Blue Note Records. He and his twin brother Josh began on drums at age three in the Baptist church where their father led the choir, and Ross later moved to xylophone and vibraphone, drawing his deepest inspiration from Milt Jackson alongside Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. He came up through Chicago's All City bands and the Jazz Institute of Chicago, attended the newly opened Chicago arts high school, studying under flutist Nicole Mitchell, and met mentors including Herbie Hancock, Gerald Clayton and Stefon Harris. At Harris's urging he won a place in the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet and studied with him for two years. His recordings include In Common (2018), KingMaker (2019), Broken Circles (2020), Who Are You? (2020), The Parable of the Poet (2022), nublues (2024) and Gospel Music (2026). Ross's music joins gospel and R&B roots with modern improvisation, and in concert he leads his band with shimmering, fast-moving vibraphone lines and a collective spirit that rewards close listening.