“A legitimate jazz triple threat… Ulysses Owens Jr. is indeed the real deal.” — Critical Jazz

A drummer, educator, author, and creative entrepreneur who The New York Times has said “take[s] a back seat to no one,” and “a musician who balances excitement gracefully and shines with innovation,” Ulysses Owens Jr. goes the limit in the jazz world and beyond; claiming eight successful albums of his own. Owens has also gained special attention for his performances on GRAMMY Award-winning albums by Kurt Elling and The Christian McBride Big Band, in addition to five GRAMMY-nominated albums with Joey Alexander, Christian McBride Trio, John Beasley’s Monk’estra, and Gregory Porter. In 2021, his most recent big band release, Soul Conversations, was voted the top album in May 2021 by JazzIz Magazine. Soul Conversations was released on the Outside In Music Label and received rave reviews; it was added to multiple playlists on Apple Music, Spotify, and Sirius XM, and now the band is touring nationally to promote his latest 2024 album on Cellar Live, A New Beat.