Joel Ross (born 1995, Chicago) is an American jazz vibraphonist and composer based in Brooklyn, signed to Blue Note Records. He plays with two mallets rather than the conventional four - a deliberate choice that keeps the harmony open and puts rhythm at the centre of his music. Ross has won the DownBeat Critics Poll vibraphone category multiple times and leads the ensemble Good Vibes, with whom he has released five albums on Blue Note.
Joel Ross released his fifth Blue Note album, Gospel Music, on January 30, 2026 - a 17-track suite drawing on his Christian faith and the Black church tradition.
Ross performed at the Jazz Cafe in London as part of a European tour with Good Vibes, playing mostly unreleased material alongside tracks from his Blue Note catalogue.
Blue Note released Motion II by the all-star collective Out Of/Into, featuring Ross alongside Gerald Clayton, Immanuel Wilkins, Kendrick Scott and Matt Brewer.
Ross and Good Vibes headlined the final night of the Hudson Jazz Festival with a 90-minute set.
Ross performed at The New School in New York as part of a Blue Note All-Stars concert alongside faculty colleagues Immanuel Wilkins and James Francies.
