Jamison Ross was born November 12, 1987 in Jacksonville, Florida, and grew up singing and playing drums in his grandfather's church — leading the church band as Minister of Music by age 15. He attended the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, played in its jazz band, and appeared in the 2007 documentary Chops. He earned a B.A. in jazz studies from Florida State University, then moved to New Orleans, where he earned a Master's from the University of New Orleans and chose to stay.
In 2012 Ross won the 25th annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition for drums, earning a recording contract with Concord Jazz. His 2015 self-titled Concord debut — recorded at Esplanade Studios in New Orleans with a guest appearance by Jon Batiste — was nominated for a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album, merging his gifts as drummer and singer. He worked with Carmen Lundy, Dr. John, Ramsey Lewis, and Byron Cage along the way.
Ross followed the debut with All for One (2018), then co-founded the independent label and management company Affective Music with David S. Hargrett in 2019, producing Mykal Kilgore's Grammy-nominated single 'Let Me Go.' His third album, the soul-drenched JAMO, arrived in 2022, followed by singles including 'Tell Me You Love Me,' 'Still Alive,' and 'Say You Love Me' (2024). He has also toured as a drummer with Snarky Puppy and played on Jazzmeia Horn's Love and Liberation.
