(Contemporary Jazz) Joel Ross - Collection - 2019-2022, MP3, 320 kbps

If 2018 was the year Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based vibraphonist Joel Ross kept turning up on acclaimed album after acclaimed album (Makaya McCraven Universal Beings, Walter Smith III & Matthew Stevens In Common, James Francies Flight, Marquis Hill Modern Flows, Vol. 2), then 2019 is his year to be the star as he joins the Blue Note Records roster and releases his debut album. With the May 3 arrival of KingMaker, he adds his name to an illustrious jazz vibraphone legacy on the legendary label that extends from Milt Jackson to Bobby Hutcherson to Stefon Harris and now Ross. Hear the lead track “Ill Relations,” which is available to stream or download today.
KingMaker is an album that meets clear technical might with a whole lot of youthful energy and bright emotion. For his first release, Ross brought in bassist Harish Raghavan as producer and convened his Good Vibes band—Immanuel Wilkins on alto saxophone, Jeremy Corren on piano, Benjamin Tiberio on bass, and Jeremy Dutton on drums, plus guest vocalist Gretchen Parlato—for a lithe and melodic trip through a wild array of inspirations: the uncanny interplay of Miles and Wayne, the cooling touch of Bags, the harmonic acuity of Harris, the rhythmic heat of Steve Coleman, and the genius album-building of Ambrose Akinmusire. And at the heart of it all is the wisdom passed down personally to Ross from Hutcherson: “Write music about your life and write every day.”
“I never had a doubt that I was going to do music,” says Joel Ross, 23 years old and the most thrilling new vibraphonist in America. “My whole life it was just about finding a way to do it.” In the past few years, keeping up with all of those ways has, for aficionados, turned into a virtuosic practice unto itself. The Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based player and composer has a way of being everywhere interesting at once: from deeply innovative albums (Makaya McCraven's Universal Beings, Walter Smith III & Matthew Stevens’ In Common) to reliably revolutionary combos (Marquis Hill's Blacktet, Peter Evans' Being & Becoming) to the buzzing debut of Blue Note's 2018 breakout star James Francies (Flight). Even with his own bands - which include quartets and a large ensemble dedicated to works of and in-the-style-of Ornette Coleman and the Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet - Ross is basically a living blur of mallets and talent and ideas.
But 2019 is his year to be the star as he joins the Blue Note Records roster and adds his name to an illustrious jazz vibraphone legacy on the label that extends from Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson to Stefon Harris and now Ross. While there's no doubt that Ross will be just as tough to pin down, listeners can at last explore his vision at a human pace with his debut “KingMaker”, an album that meets clear technical might with a whole lot of youthful energy and bright emotion. For his first release, Ross convenes his Good Vibes band - Immanuel Wilkins on alto saxophone, Jeremy Corren on piano, Benjamin Tiberio on bass, Jeremy Dutton on drums - for a lithe and melodic trip through a wild array of inspirations: the uncanny interplay of Miles and Wayne, the cooling touch of Bags, the harmonic acuity of Harris, the rhythmic heat of Steve Coleman, and the genius album-building of Ambrose Akinmusire. And at the heart of it all is the wisdom passed down personally to Ross from Hutcherson: “Write music about your life and write every day.”
“I took Bobby's words literally,” says Ross, who visited the master in his home while studying in California. “Every song is influenced by people or events, relationships I had, or even a question someone posed.” “KingMaker” finds our host exploring the formative stuff that made him the man he is. The centerpiece and title track is dedicated to his mother, and it's a gorgeous bit of chaos-wrangling as Ross, Wilkins, and Dutton test the song's limits with all the passion of youth, while Corren and Tiberio steadily soothe. “Prince Lynn's Twin,” similarly honors Ross’ twin brother and father (whose middle name is Lynn): vibraphone and saxophone present two melodies that play together, and then off of one another, while the rhythm section occasionally steps in to help guide. “Freda's Disposition,” with Gretchen Parlato on the album's only vocal, is a lullaby for Ross’ little niece.
“She can be very shy, very quiet and sometimes anxious,” says Ross. “My solo, to me, represents how dark and cloudy that can feel. But then comes the piano with one of the most beautiful solos on the record, and the mood lifts.” Ross grew up in a harmonious home with three older sisters and police officers for parents in a quiet South Side neighborhood. By 3, he and his twin had spent enough time beating on things around the house that it was deemed wisest to buy them separate toddler-sized drum sets. Before long they were taking turns sitting in at church, where dad was choir director at one point. They joined school band as soon as they could, age 10, and since Joel was the younger twin, he was consigned to xylophone while his brother hit skins. They auditioned for the multi-school All City concert and jazz bands too. “To be fair my brother was the better drummer,” Ross admits. “We both made the cut and since I already played mallets they said, ‘Why don't you try vibraphone?’ I was like, ‘I don't know what a vibraphone is. I don't want to do this.’” But he did, and found it the most natural way to express himself. He practiced and played constantly through numerous opportunities from the Jazz Institute of Chicago, and later became one of the first students at the city’s first public arts high school, Chicago High School for the Arts. Through ChiArts' partnership with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, Ross got to meet kindred spirits at other high schools around the country (like Francies), jam with Herbie Hancock (his class of 2013 keynote speaker), and learn from special guest Gerald Clayton, a gateway to the beguiling music of Akinmusire, in particular the trumpeter’s own Blue Note debut When the Heart Emerges Glistening, which Ross didn't immediately understand, so, naturally he became keenly devoted to unpacking every note.
Still, he'd never had a dedicated vibraphone teacher. Enter Stefon Harris, who after meeting Ross at a festival, invited him to try out for his Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet at University of the Pacific in Nor Cal. Ross won it, and for two intense years worked to tear down and rebuild his approach to the instrument. “Stefon completely revamped my technique,” says Ross. “We were also learning his [now-famous] ear-training method, applying emotions to chords and hearing harmony in new ways. I figured out how I wanted to sound.” That's where the seeds of “KingMaker” were planted. Ross soon transferred to the New School and finished these songs with Good Vibes, his favorite players he met at camps, contests, and gigs along the way. They ironed it out during a late-night residency at Small's in Greenwich Village, then recorded the album, one take, in an afternoon. “I'm never one to make a band do anything. I influence them where I can, then go with whatever is happening,” says Ross, whose chemistry with Wilkins is clear. “Immanuel's my best friend. It's like jamming with myself on a second instrument.” So much of “KingMaker” - both its content and the experience of making it - is captured by the title of a lovely late-album cut: “With Whom Do You Learn Trust?” Hutcherson’s treasured advice finds expression on the moody, mode-shifting “Ill Relations” and the tour of emotions that is “Yana” (both of which explore the many sides of romance and friendship), and the brightly tumbling “Is It Love That Inspires You?” (a query from a friend). From the sweet and slow opener “Touched by an Angel” to the LP's ominous closer “It's Already Too Late,” we see Ross finding his place and gathering strength. In other words, becoming the king he's meant to be.

The sophomore album from Joel Ross, 2020's Who Are You? showcases the Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based vibraphonist's expansive post-bop jazz. The record follows his critically acclaimed debut, 2019's Kingmaker, and again finds him engaging in warm long-form interplay with his distinctive sextet. Joining Ross are pianist Jeremy Corren, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, and drummer Jeremy Dutton -- bandmates who all played on Kingmaker. Added to the ensemble this time are bassist Kanoa Mendenhall and harpist Brandee Younger. The addition of Younger is an especially interesting choice. Informed by jazz harp pioneers like Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby, she brings an unusual texture to the ensemble. Her presence also means Ross' group has four chordal instruments (vibes, piano, bass, and harp) interacting at any given time. There's an impressionistic sound to many of Ross' songs, as on the opening "Dream." A wave-like composition, it brings to mind the work of artists like pianist Keith Jarrett and vibraphonist Wolfgang Lackerschmid. There's also a strong John Coltrane influence that runs through the album that's particularly evident in Wilkins' playing. On the minor-key "More?" the saxophonist rubs against the song's Eastern European folk intimations with his edgy tone and wry note choices. Picking up on his approach, Corren offers his own wild-eyed and dancerly response before Ross dives into the whirling fray. Underlining the Coltrane influence, Ross presents an elegiac and delicately textured rendition of the saxophonist's "After the Rain," off his landmark 1963 album Impressions. Where the original was spare and made the most of Coltrane's small quartet, Ross' version is more widescreen. He expands Coltrane's melody with a shimmer of bubble-bright harp and vibraphone tones that fall like water droplets onto a buzzing lake of bowed bass and rippling, woody drum patterns. From there, the group shifts gears into a measured reading of Ambrose Akinmusire's "Vartha." A carryover from Ross' time as a member of the trumpeter's ensemble, the song starts with a slow churn that sets up a kinetic solo from Wilkins. Ross then responds in kind, launching into a flurry of gyroscopic note spirals. The song ends with an equally frenetic drum outro that segues directly into Ross' composition "Marshland," a transition that speaks to the vibraphonist's interest in having longer musical conversations throughout the album. Elsewhere, he pays homage to the late Brazilian tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri on his soulful and dusky "Gato's Gift," and evokes the yearning vocals of Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa with a dual sax and vibraphone melody on the ballad "Harmonee." With Who Are You?, Ross has crafted another highly engaging small-group album that more than answers the question at hand.

Vibraphonist and composer Joel Ross returns with stunning conviction, issuing his third release for Blue Note Records: The Parable of the Poet. Steadfast in his commitment to skewing perceptions of improvisation and written composition, the critics’ favorite explores new, more expansive territory with his eight-piece Parables band, bringing together young artists of sharply defined expression: Blue Note labelmate Immanuel Wilkins on alto saxophone, Maria Grand on tenor saxophone, Marquis Hill on trumpet, Kalia Vandever on trombone, Sean Mason on piano, Rick Rosato on bass, Craig Weinrib on drums, and returning special guest Gabrielle Garo on flute.
The album embodies Ross’ collaborative spirit. His lyrical aesthetic activates an ebb and flow from one movement to the next. Moments of intentional discourse drive sections of collective melody and spontaneous counterpoint. “This band is more than just the instruments,” says the Chicago-born, New York City-based artist. “Every person on here means something to me. They’re all my friends. Everybody involved committed themselves to the vision.”
Ross’ vision for the music is at once explicit and mysterious. He seeks to express themes present in parable tellings and retellings, while leaving each story’s particulars open to interpretation. Each title of the seven movement suite references an emotional decision or experience for Ross. But in the studio he focused on fresh interpretations, allowing his past experiences to exist without dictating the band’s present treatment of the music. “I told them, ‘This is what the music is and this is how I want you to approach it — let everything we play be inspired by the melody.’ Not much else was decided,” says Ross, who enjoys “blurring the lines between melody and improvisation,” in part, as a way to facilitate communication and meaningful musical discourse.
Obscuring divisions between scripted and spontaneous is more than a romantic notion. For Ross, it’s truthful and intrinsic. Each composition he explores on The Parable of the Poet represents a near intact improvisation, some dating back to 2017, all of which emerged during creative sessions with his friend and colleague, saxophonist Sergio Tabanico. “We would record it, then I would go back and flesh out the composition,” he says. “I tried my best not to change any harmonic information or add too much more than what was already there. I just tried to organize the information in a manner that would yield sensible improvised group interaction, while giving enough direction.”
That choice prompts striking moments of deep listening and self-orchestrating among Ross and his fellow artists. The first movement “PRAYER” sets a tone of rumination and collective inquiry. Apart from Ross’ tender solo introduction, the piece exercises restraint. “There’s no one person who’s taking the mic,” says Ross. “Everyone has a moment of playing the theme,” kindling shared navigation and discourse.
“GUILT” features moments of ribboned syncopation from Grand following a short, resonant introduction of lyrical elasticity from Rosato. Ross lifted the movement in its entirety from an improvised session. “For me, it’s the most emotional piece,” says Ross, who envisioned Garo’s flute as a bird flying on top of the grounding music. “She’s the one playing the melody almost the entire time,” he says.
Hill’s feature “CHOICES” emerged from nearly 20 minutes of improvisation between Ross and Tabanico. First came the chord, then the notes, finally the theme. In the studio, Ross refrained from writing out chords. Starting with a pedal, he gave his band members the first phrase, knowing they’d somehow make it to the second. “While everyone was learning the tune, I had to give a little more instruction,” he says. “In a perfect world, and if we’d had more time, I would have just kept the tape rolling and captured us getting to it the same way I had with all the other improvisations, but I’m happy we were able to achieve that same feeling regardless of time constraints.”
Inside the booth, Wilkins entered the space Ross had envisioned for “WAIL,” the movement that leads into “THE IMPETUS (To Be And Do Better)” inextricably. “In the studio, Immanuel fully committed to going for what I wanted,” says Ross. “We didn’t have to talk much about it – he understands the music and what it needs.” Wilkins takes time and space developing a statement that engages what Ross considers the dance happening around the music, before Vandever enters with striking intentionality. “While we’re performing, there’s this silent thing happening, showing something. So I imagine us as dancers trying to express these emotions.”
Grand, Mason and Ross each hold space on “DOXOLOGY (Hope),” the album’s briefest movement. Its bright tempo requires Rosato and Weinrib wholly to embody walking, groove, and free departure and return; that elastic feel bonded with a minor atmosphere serve as a vessel for the horns to become a small choir. “I saw them as the praise team,” says Ross, who orchestrated the movement to lead into “BENEDICTION,” the album’s final piece. “A benediction is the way we would leave in church, ending on a Good Word,” says Ross, who wanted Mason’s feature to activate the final movement. “What I love about working with Sean is that I don’t have to tell him about anything musically,” he says. “BENEDICTION” builds on major 3rds with the indication of an unending gesture. Fittingly, the music fades: “I didn’t want people to hear it end, because it can keep going on forever.”
Ross rarely includes narrative explanations of anything he plays. For The Parable of the Poet, he leaves his own motivations unvoiced, allowing both listeners and bandmates their unique, experiential readings of the music. “I’m just so interested in what the listener receives, what they take from it,” he says, “the same as you would from any parable.”