Jonathan Barber

Internationally recorded artist, composer, educator, and bandleader Jonathan Barber was voted the #1 Up-and-Coming Drummer of 2018 in Modern Drummer. Barber has already recorded and toured worldwide with such artists as Pat Metheny, Terence Blanchard, Erykah Badu, Nicholas Payton, Buster Williams, Jimmy Greene, Jeremy Pelt, Wallace Roney, Terrace Martin, Jennifer Holiday, Harold Mabern, Steve Davis, Nat Reeves, J.D. Allen, The Brooklyn Philharmonic, and many more.

In addition to his first-call status as a sideman, Barber has recently stepped forth as a composer and leader with his Vision Ahead band. Even with Barber’s history of high-profile gigs and recordings taken into consideration, DownBeat magazine gave his latest album Legacy Holder 4.5 stars. Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead is a powerful declaration of intent for a band that has been making waves on the modern jazz scene. Barber’s blend of classic, swinging jazz, with elements of gospel, rock, soul, and fusion, is a compelling showcase of Barber’s broad stylistic range as a drummer, performer, and composer. Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead was featured in and headlined the 2018 Rainy Days Jazz Festival held in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia, the 2019 Hartford Jazz Festival, and the 2020 Clifford Brown Jazz Festival. During the Spring of 2020, Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead completed their first national tour performing throughout the West-Coast of America.

Being an independent artist, Jonathan Barber just released his third album with Vision Ahead entitled Live at Jazz Standard, which is exclusively on Bandcamp. Also stepping into the role as a Drum Clinician, Barber toured as solo clinician in Latin America (Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina) and China (Kumming, Loyung, Hefei, Nanjing, Beijing). Barber endorses Ludwig Drums, Istanbul Agop Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Promark Drumsticks, and Sunhouse Percussion.

“I recognize my God given gift. Maximizing this gift to its full potential is the best thing you can do for yourself. Operating in this gift is how you give back to the world.”