Some people are born with music in their blood, melodies humming through their heartbeat, and synth in their soul. That’s the case for local musician Jonah Pierre, who’s been taking the Jacksonville jazz scene by storm since the day he broke onto it.
Pierre moved to North Florida as a child, attending LaVilla School of the Arts for his final year of middle school before moving on to Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.
In those early years, he was drawn to percussion, participating in the school band and pursuing the instrument through high school.
Pierre studied under Tony Steve, the percussion coordinator at Jacksonville University, while in high school. He performed in his first few professional gigs under Steve’s guidance, one of which took place in the heart of downtown at St. John’s Cathedral.
“I was really into classical percussion, that was my main focus,” Pierre said.
During his high school years, Pierre began playing piano, which served as the gateway to jazz, the style of music for which he’s now most widely known.
Jonah Pierre is a multi-talented musician, though he prefers pianos and keyboards.
“My music style has definitely grown and expanded to where I feel like I’m pretty diverse and can now do a little bit of everything,” he said.
After returning to Jacksonville post-college at Oberlin College, Pierre picked up right where he left off, establishing himself in the music scene. It wasn’t long after his return that he secured a long-term spot at the Casbah Cafe in Avondale, where he plays every Sunday night alongside fellow jazz musicians.
Pierre also became a regular at the Blue Jay Listening Room in Jacksonville Beach for the venue’s weekly Blue Jay Jazz Jam, though he’s no stranger to performing in the corporate band world at weddings and similar events as well.
When the pandemic struck, Pierre experimented with synthesizers and keyboards, setting up equipment for a home studio to play with electronic music and hip-hop, which he released on SoundCloud.
Pierre draws inspiration from beloved jazz musicians like John Coltrane and Miles Davis. He especially appreciates the evolving nature of Davis’s music throughout the musician’s 50-year career, which he feels mirrors his own style and evolution.
Jonah Pierre in his home-studio with keyboards, synthesizers, and recording equipment.
As Pierre grew in the industry, he said that the most important lesson he’s learned is to slow down and appreciate how far he’s already come.
“I had to learn that there’s a limit to your body’s endurance, learn to appreciate that you don’t have to do everything,” he said. “Music is not so much about the virtuosity or technique as it is about connection and the slow burn of being a musician.”
The most rewarding aspect of his career?
“Getting up every day and loving what I do,” Pierre said. “Doing what I love for a living and doing it with friends.”
Pierre is set to participate in the inaugural month-long Summer Music Residency at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens on Tuesday nights from Aug. 19 through Sept. 9.
During the four-week residency, Pierre will regale audience members with performances on the museum’s grand piano alongside his band and a rotating selection of some of his favorite fellow musicians in the area.