Jason Winikoff hails from the US, but has called Vancouver home since 2018. He is a scholar of percussion and the drumset and his work sits comfortably at the nexus of ethnomusicology and music theory. His research involves ethnographically-informed approaches to analysis.

Though his love of drumming has led him to a variety of music cultures across the globe, he has a special interest in the percussion traditions of Zambia, New Orleans, Ghana, and Haiti. Winikoff is a proud student of multiple teachers from these traditions: Kapalu Lizambo, Josephine Sombo Muzala Chipango, William Vunda, Douglas Mwila, the late Samuel Samutala, Nomakanjani, Geoff Clapp, Jesse McBride, Emmanuel Attah Poku, J.S. Kofi Gbolonyo, and the late Damas Fanfan Louis. An avid fieldworker, Winikoff has made several extensive research trips to Zambia where he works closely with the Luvale- (and related) speaking peoples.

In 2013 he received his B.F.A. in Jazz Studies and Digital Media Production from Tulane University in the heart of New Orleans. In 2018 Winikoff completed his M.A. in Ethnomusicology from Tufts University where he studied under David Locke. His masters thesis investigated the roles of timbre, vocal activity, and rhythm in traditional Zambian Luvale percussion.

Since arriving at UBC, Winikoff has helped teach the African Drum and Dance Ensemble. He is the co-founder and co-leader of the ACTOR Project’s African & Diaspora music subgroup. He has also been an active member of the Vancouver jazz scene as both a drummer and percussionist.

Research Interests: Timbre; Percussion; Fieldwork; Ethnography; Analysis; Rhythm; African Music; Jazz

Current Research: My current research focuses on timbre as a mode of cultural communication within the Zambian Luvale makishi spirit manifestation. In conjunction with the Likumbi lya Mize Cultural Association and the International Library of African Music, I have been recording an album of traditional Luvale, Luchazi, Mbunda, and Chokwe music. I am also currently investigating the ways jazz drummers use timbre and auditory stream segregation to craft improvised solos.