nublues

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Joel Ross re-enrolled in the New School to complete his degree, during which he took a class from Darius Jones about blues music. This inspired Ross to reconsider the blues as "a sort of spirit, an energy", rather than a specific form. Ross also wished to make music that was more accessible than his previous work.{{Cite web |title=Bio |url=http://www.iplayvibes.com/bio-1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619112349/http://www.iplayvibes.com/bio-1 |archive-date=2024-06-19 |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=iplayvibes.com |language=en-US}}

{{Music ratings

| MC = 84/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/nublues/joel-ross|title=Nublues by Josh Ross Reviews and Tracks|website=Metacritic|access-date=June 26, 2024}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{rating|4|5}}{{Cite web |last=Collar |first=Matt |title=nublues – Joel Ross |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/nublues-mw0004165274 |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}

| rev2 = Financial Times

| rev2score = {{rating|4|5}}{{Cite news |last=Hobart |first=Mike |date=February 2, 2024 |title=Joel Ross explores the legacies of the blues on Nublues – album review |url=https://www.ft.com/content/13d5bde2-7dde-4299-8724-6c8ba82eff9f |access-date=2024-06-21 |newspaper=Financial Times}}

| rev3 = The Observer

| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{Cite news |last=Spencer |first=Neil |date=2024-02-11 |title=Joel Ross: Nublues review – vibraphonist's innovative homage to tradition |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/feb/11/joel-ross-nublues-review-vibraphonist-innovative-homage-to-tradition |access-date=2024-06-21 |newspaper=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}

| rev4 = The Times

| rev4score = {{rating|4|5}}{{Cite news |last=Pearson |first=Chris |date=2024-06-21 |title=Joel Ross: Nublues review — delving into the history of blues |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/joel-ross-nublues-review-delving-into-the-history-of-blues-mg8c005mb |access-date=2024-06-21 |newspaper=The Times |language=en}}

}}

The album was met with critical acclaim. Mike Hobart, writing for the Financial Times, gave the album four stars, stating that "Intense modal jazz and field-holler wails sit side by side, but only as signifiers in an intense and wide-ranging set...it is the intuitive interplay of a long-established band that most impresses." Will Layman of PopMatters highlighted the album on the site's JazzMatters column, declaring that it "continues a strong run [for Ross] on Blue Note", and praised pianist Jeremy Corren's playing on the track "ya know".{{Cite web |last=Layman |first=Will |date=2024-03-26 |title=JazzMatters: The Best New Jazz of Winter 2024 |url=https://www.popmatters.com/best-new-jazz-winter-2024 |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=www.popmatters.com |language=en-US}} Phil Freeman, writing in Stereogum{{'s}} monthly Ugly Beauty column, said the album "arises out of an urge to explore ballads and blues, and in so doing find his way to the heart of jazz, to move it forward by examining its past and its roots".{{Cite web |last=Freeman |first=Phil |date=2024-02-20 |title=Ugly Beauty: The Month in Jazz |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2252513/vijay-iyer-interview-compassion/columns/ugly-beauty/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=Stereogum |at=Take Ten |language=en}}

All tracks written by Joel Ross unless otherwise indicated.

1. "Early" – 3:56
2. "Equinox" (John Coltrane) – 8:37
3. "Mellowdee" – 11:12
4. "Chant" (Gabrielle Garo, Ross) – 2:38
5. "What Am I Waiting For?" – 2:46
6. "Bach (God the Father in Eternity)" – 8:40
7. "Nublues" (Ross, Immanuel Wilkins, Jeremy Corren, Jeremy Dutton, Kanoa Mendenhall) – 8:12
8. "Ya Know?" – 9:37
9. "Evidence" (Thelonious Monk)– 8:02
10. "Central Park West" (Coltrane) – 4:28

Track titles are stylized in all lowercase.

• Joel Ross – vibraphone
• Immanuel Wilkins – alto saxophone
• Kanoa Mendenhall – bass
• Jeremy Dutton – drums
• Gabrielle Garo – flute (4–6)
• Jeremy Corren – piano

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Category:2024 albums

Category:Blue Note Records albums

Category:Jazz albums