Jana Lee Ross is a lifelong pianist and vocalist with a repertoire that blurs the lines between classical music and jazz. Unifying these two art forms is the overall arch of her career as a performer, composer and broadcaster. Jana Lee worked her way up from the long dark jazz night of the graveyard shift disc jockey as host of Jazz Beyond Midnight to become Director of Music for Classical 88.7 KCME in Colorado Springs. Capping off her 20‐year stay at KCME, she steered the launch of KCME’s sister station, Jazz 93.5, while still wearing her classical hat. Jana Lee has produced the weekly programs Ladies Who Lunch, which highlights the accomplishments of women in classical music, and The Bridge, which explored music and musicians that cross the bridge between classical music and jazz. Always up for a little retro fun, her nightly Bachelor Pad Cocktail Hour was a listener favorite.

In addition to her broadcasting work, Jana Lee Ross has a thriving performance career. She is in demand as a pianist and vocalist, incorporating Bach, BeBop, Bill Evans, and David Bowie into her personalized sound. She works regularly throughout Colorado as a sideman, accompanist, and music director. Between gigs as a honky‐tonk barroom groover and five‐star‐resort ivory‐tickler, she leads her own “punk jazz” combo, Jana Lee and the Powers That Be.

At the heart of Jana Lee’s love of jazz is a fascination with how this art form reveals the players’ musical lineage and expresses the individual’s soul. Respect for the past, an eye toward the future, and playing rooted firmly in the present moment—that is her favorite sound.