Why the CJO?
As we celebrate our 40th year, we’re sharing stories and memories from CJO board members (current and former) and fans.
Joel Brotman
former board member, 1999-2017, former board president
Joel Brotman
How did you begin to care about jazz, and what was your introduction to the CJO?
I began to care about jazz shortly after by parents conceded to my begging at around my 13th birthday or so for an alto saxophone. I had heard its sound on the radio, as my father was a fan of a New York City station that played a lot of new recordings of standards... after six months of good private lessons, I was accepted into the 9th grade school band, and took my alto very seriously. I spend my allowance on a few of the newfangled LP's, especially those with saxophone players on the covers….
[W]herever and whenever I could as my family and I moved ... I made sure to find ways to play with and hear both jazz bands and concert bands. In the CLE, I hooked up with a good semi-amateur big band called the "Prime Time Big Band," where I got to play lead alto and had fun with a good bunch of musicians with the same interests and similar musical backgrounds. I don't remember exactly how or why shortly after we moved to Gates Mills in 1999, I was invited to attend a CJO board meeting and on the strong recommendation of a colleague at the new day job that required the move, but soon after that, I was asked to join the board. As soon as we had planned to move to Gates Mills from Pawling, NY, I used my developed business networking skills to reach out to sources in Boise to find out if there was a chance in hell for me to find music to play and to hear. One of the people I called was the head of the jazz program at Boise State. When I told him how fortunate I was in Cleveland and asked him whether there would be any opportunities in the Boise area, he said, "Well, you know, it's no Cleveland." I never thought I would ever hear that from anybody about anyplace, but there are some really fine opportunities to hear fine jazz and a quite fine Boise Philharmonic.
“I’ve been a major fan of the CJO since the first concert I attended after moving to the Cleveland area in 1999. ”
What is one of your fondest memories from a jazz concert?
I’ve been at so very many jazz concerts that have become fond memories, but I think the best was taking the Jazz Cruise featuring Sean Jones last January. The other one I have to mention is when Sean introduced me as a the guest artist to play “The Christmas Song” with the CJO. It’s on YouTube.
“[In Boise, Idaho,] I now lead a band that I named the “Switch In Time Jazz Orchestra,” after a tune by Sammy Nestico for Count Basie’s band. ...We’re no CJO, but then who is? ”
What do you hope for the future of the CJO?
My wishes for the future of the CJO is to keep with the times and also always honor the past, and always to be among the very best, as they are now. What’s unique is that it’s a 501 (c)(3) entity that can play at the level of the best of the “For Profit” jazz orchestras.