Join us as Cleveland's premier jazz voice pays tribute to the legacy of this remarkable musician, educator, mentor & friend with a very special concert presentation in his honor, playing some of his favorite music with some of his favorite players.
Pianist Roland Paolucci was one of Northeast Ohio’s jazz gems. As the founder of the Jazz Studies program at the University of Akron and former Musical Director of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, Paolucci was (and is) highly respected among his peers on the local music scene. Under his direction of the CJO, he worked with renowned jazz artists such as Lew Soloff, Clark Terry, Louie Bellson, Sarah Vaughn, Milt Hinton, Tom Harrell, Benny Carter, Rufus Reid, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Guido Basso, Jiggs Whigham, Carl Fontana, Tony Bennett, Diane Schuur, and Tommy Flanagan to name a few.
Join us as the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra pays tribute to the legacy of this remarkable musician, educator, mentor & friend with a very special concert presentation in his honor, playing some of his favorite music with some of his favorite players.
Doors open at 5:30PM for guests to mingle and share their memories of Roland, with the concert beginning at 7:00PM.
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ABOUT THE CLEVELAND JAZZ ORCHESTRA
For 31 years, The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra has been Northeast Ohio’s premier jazz voice. Led by trombonist, composer & arranger, Paul Ferguson, the CJO promotes jazz in its historical and contemporary forms, through concerts with gifted jazz musicians, arrangers, composers and educators in northeast Ohio. The CJO aims for worldwide recognition in cooperation with guest artists, and looks to shepherd young musicians toward the future of jazz. This season exemplifies this mission and vision through a variety of new music, new compositions and arrangements, and a stellar line-up of well-known guest artists and young up-and-coming talent.
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ABOUT ROLAND PAOLUCCI
Roland Paolucci was a professor from The University of Akron, Ohio, where he served as Coordinator of Jazz Studies in the School of Music. He held a Bachelor degree in Music and MA in Arts Management from Akron, where he founded the Jazz Studies Program. Under his direction, the University of Akron Jazz Ensemble and its members received numerous awards at jazz festivals, both regional and national. They toured Europe, performing at the Nice and Montreux Jazz Festivals. Paolucci retired from teaching in July 2000, and was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus.
In 1993, Mr. Paolucci retired as Musical Director of The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra (CJO), a position he held since the spring of 1986. During this period, he directed performances with such internationally renowned jazz artists as Lew Soloff, Clark Terry, Louie Bellson, Sarah Vaughn, Milt Hinton, Tom Harrell, Benny Carter, Rufus Reid, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Guido Basso, Jiggs Whigham, Carl Fontana, Tony Bennett, Diane Schuur, and Tommy Flanagan.