Vibraphonist Joel Ross has released his fourth Blue Note album, nublues, a set of “ballads & blues” as performed by a modern Jazz group featuring Immanuel Wilkins on alto saxophone, Jeremy Corren on piano, Kanoa Mendenhall on bass, Jeremy Dutton on drums, special guest Gabrielle Garo on flute.

The band moves across the Blues-imbued musical terrain Ross’ original songs and pieces by John Coltrane (“equinox” & “central park west”) & Thelonious Monk (“evidence”).

Joel Ross is currently touring the U.S. with The Blue Note Quintet in celebration of Blue Note’s 85th Anniversary. The band performs in Philadelphia, Chicago, New York and more over the coming month before Ross brings his band Good Vibes to Europe in April for shows in Paris, London, Budapest, Koln, Madrid and more.

Ross draws inspiration for his work from the music scenes of his native Chicago. Now based in Brooklyn, he’s pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz Studies from The New School in downtown Manhattan.

As a band leader, he’s appeared at such venues and events as Smalls Jazz Club, Umbria Jazz Festival, The Jazz Gallery, Winter Jazz Fest, Newport Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s Club, BRIC Jazz Festival, The Blue Whale, North Sea Jazz Festival, The Brubeck Institute and Kuumbwa Jazz Festival, among others.

Don Was, President of Blue Note Records, says of Ross:

Joel is not only one of the preeminent instrumentalists of this era, but he is one of the greatest musical visionaries of his generation.