Jerome Jennings

Jerome Jennings is a Cleveland-born drummer, bandleader, and composer who became one of the most in-demand sidemen on the New York jazz scene after earning a master's degree from the Juilliard School in 2007. His 2016 debut as a leader, The Beast, reflected the everyday joys and traumas of Black American life, drawing a four-star DownBeat review and a nomination for France's Grand Prix du Disque for album of the year. He followed it with Solidarity in 2019, another socially engaged statement recognized by NPR. Jennings served as resident director of the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra from 2017 to 2021 and has taught at Princeton University and Montclair State University. He leads his own group, iLL Philosophy, while keeping a steady schedule of sideman work at clubs such as Smalls and Mezzrow.