Cleveland native saxophonist and Oberlin Conservatory graduate, Johnny Cochran, fuses traditional & modern genres together for a refreshing sound all its own! Johnny Cochran, Aaron Janik, Jessica Yafanaro, Theron Brown, Dan Pappalardo, Zaire Darden.
A product of Oberlin Conservatory’s best and most respected musicians and a native of Cleveland’s southwest side, saxophonist Johnny Cochran was a music lover at an early age. Through his music, he aims to share his life story growing up in Cleveland.
As a child, Johnny was active in gospel music playing drums in church and singing in the choir. Later, he started playing saxophone in elementary school, which opened the door for learning about jazz. He attended Cleveland School of the Arts and Cuyahoga Community College simultaneously during high school, studying saxophone with the legendary Ernie Krivda and finding mentorship in many other local Cleveland players. While furthering his training at the Oberlin Conservatory, he has remained an active professional performing in the Cleveland area with bands such as Mojo: The Generations Big Band, The Jazz Heritage Orchestra, Ernie Krivda’s Fat Tuesday Big Band, and The Swing City Big Band.
He has had the opportunity to perform with world-renowned artists such as Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Sean Jones, and many others. He is also currently a member of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Paul Ferguson. Johnny studied with Gary Bartz at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and graduated in May of 2013. In addition to the saxophone, his primary instrument, he is proficient at the piano, drums, and various woodwind instruments. In his music, Johnny creates a sound that is all his own blending modern ideas with the sounds of his upbringing.
From Jazz to Hip Hop, from Duke Ellington to Michael Jackson, Johnny Cochran and New Sound was formed with the idea of fusing the traditional and modern genres of music together into one setting. Each of the players in the band have their own unique voice and their own story to tell, and when they come to together – they create a sound fresh and uplifting.
Join us for the BLU Jazz+ debut of this stellar ensemble, featuring some of the best talent in the state, featuring Johnny Cochran, Aaron Janik, Jessica Yafanaro, Theron Brown, Dan Pappalardo, and Zaire Darden – get your tickets today!