Gail Jhonson

Keyboardist, composer, and educator Gail Jhonson is known for her sophisticated blend of smooth jazz, funk, and R&B. Jhonson initially gained attention for her work with Norman Brown, Morris Day, and others before embarking on her solo career with 2004′s Keep the Music Playing. She also leads the all-female group Jazz in Pink with whom she recorded 2020′s Joy!.
A native of Philadelphia, Jhonson first began playing piano at age ten and was performing professionally by her teens. After high school, she earned her B.A. in composition from Boston’s Berklee College of Music. From there, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she taught at the Musician’s Institute and performed in various theater productions and gospel musicals. She also found herself in demand as a touring and session musician, working with artists like Morris Day, Brenda Russell, Jermaine Jackson, P!nk, Jeff Lorber, Bobby Womack, and Jonathan Butler. She also spent many years as the musical director for guitarist Norman Brown. As a solo artist, Jhonson debuted in 2004 with Keep the Music Playing and returned in 2007 with It's About Time. Her third album, Pearls, arrived the following year.
In 2011, Jhonson released Her Story, which featured contributions by trumpeter Lin Rountree and vocalist Tamira Khyrah-joi. Around the same time, she launched the all-female jazz ensemble Jazz in Pink. As an outgrowth of the band, Jhonson founded Jazz in Pink, a non-profit organization to help empower women and girls. In 2020, she signed with Shanachie and released her sixth album and first with Jazz in Pink, Joy!. Also that year, she earned her Master’s Degree in Music Business from Southern New Hampshire University and Berklee College of Music. ~ Matt Collar