Oakland-born Justin Brown plays jazz with a universality and maturity that have made him one of the busiest players in New York City, cutting records and performing with Chris Dingman, Gerald Clayton, Ambrose Akinmusire, Kenny Garrett, Christian McBride, Stefon Harris, Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard, Josh Roseman, Gretchen Parlato, Yosvany Terry, and Vijay Iyer. An extremely quick-witted and responsive drummer, Brown is tough to pin down. You hear hints of Tony Williams and J Dilla in his lithe, forward-motion approach, but there’s nothing about the way he plays that boxes him into any particular era or camp.

Brown began drumming in church when he was two and eventually joined UC Berkeley’s Young Musicians Program, which he attended for a number of summers. In 2002 he won a full scholarship to the Dave Brubeck Institute; two years later he was awarded a full scholarship to Juilliard. After arriving in New York, though, Brown dropped out of school and hit the circuit.