Drummer Jamison Ross won the 2012 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, edging out Justin Brown and Colin Stranahan, which earned him a recording contract with the Concord Music Group. His debut album, simply titled Jamison, is set for its June 23rd release and features Ross’ college counterparts guitarist Rick Lollar, bassist Corcoran Holt, saxophonist Dayve Stewart, pianist Chris Pattishall, organist Cory Irvin, and trumpeter Alphonso Horne III as well as a special guest appearance by Jonathan Batiste, who plays on four songs.
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Interestingly enough, Ross not only plays drums on the record but also sings on 10 of the 12 tracks. “When I won the Monk competition, no one there knew that I could sing”, says 27-year-old Ross. “When I took on the quest to record my first record, I was torn between my heart as a drummer and my heart as a singer. Ultimately, I was compelled to take a journey that incorporated my voice as part of my sound”. The album features a combination of covers and originals, most notably Muddy Waters’ 1977 classic, “Deep Down in Florida”, an homage to Grady Tate with Gary McFarland, Louis Savary’s soul-jazz classic, “Sack Full of Dreams”, and Eddie Harris and Les McCann’s 1971 hit, “Set Us Free” in addition to Carmen Lundy’s 1994 composition “These Things You Are to Me”, whom Ross has been playing with since 2009. Check out the short teaser for Jamison below as well as a lyric video for the first single “Emotions”.