Gail Jhonson

Keyboardist, composer, and educator Gail Jhonson has built a reputation for her refined fusion of smooth jazz, funk, and R&B. Early notice came through her collaborations with Norman Brown, Morris Day, and additional artists, after which she launched her own recording path via the 2004 release Keep the Music Playing. She also directs the all-female ensemble Jazz in Pink, whose 2020 project Joy! marked her first album under the Shanachie imprint.

Born in Philadelphia, Jhonson took up the piano at age ten and was already working professionally during her teenage years. Following high school she completed a B.A. in composition at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, then moved to Los Angeles. There she joined the faculty of the Musician’s Institute, appeared in numerous stage productions and gospel musicals, and became a sought-after touring and session player alongside Morris Day, Brenda Russell, Jermaine Jackson, P!nk, Jeff Lorber, Bobby Womack, and Jonathan Butler. For an extended period she also served as musical director for guitarist Norman Brown. Her solo discography began with Keep the Music Playing in 2004, continued with It’s About Time in 2007, and added Pearls the next year.

Her Story appeared in 2011 and included contributions from trumpeter Lin Rountree and vocalist Tamira Khyrah-joi. Around that time she formed the all-female jazz ensemble Jazz in Pink, which later inspired her to establish a nonprofit of the same name dedicated to empowering women and girls. In 2020 she issued her sixth album and first with Jazz in Pink, Joy!, while simultaneously earning a Master’s Degree in Music Business from Southern New Hampshire University and Berklee College of Music.