At the age of 25, Joel Ross is considered one of the most exciting vibraphonists of his generation. That said, competition is hardly fierce. The Chicago-born Brooklyn-based student of Stefon Harris has chosen a pretty rare instrument that unfortunately doesn’t entice many jazzmen. Nevertheless, his second album, released on Blue Note, unleashes the vibraphone’s true potential. It’s hardly surprising that big names like Makaya McCraven, Gerald Clayton, Ambrose Akinmusire, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Wynton Marsalis have called upon his services. As a solid leader, a virtuoso who never shows off and diligent composer, Ross is at the head of his Good Vibes band here with Jeremy Corren on piano, Immanuel Wilkins on sax, Kanoa Mendenhall on bass and Jeremy Dutton on drums. They’re a close-knit gang who master poetic (Dream), melancholic (Vartha) and much more uptempo (Marsheland) sequences. For five compositions, Joel Ross even adds more lyricism by inviting along the harpist Brandee Younger. But whatever he plays, whatever he proposes, it’s his rhythmic energy that permeates every corner of Who Are You?. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz