If you were a northeast Ohio native who would be returning for a visit in September, the most glorious month here, your itinerary would probably include family gatherings, clambakes, forest bathing in the Metroparks ,and if you have a strong stomach, maybe a Browns game. Even a local legend like Joe Lovano might have those on his vaca to-do list. But this September to remember, he’s making memories in a different–and more consequential–way.
The eminent saxophonist and composer is establishing an endowed fund to support merit-based scholarships for students in the J@MS (Jazz at The Music Settlement) program, and kicking off the effort with a concert, celebration and hang at BOP STOP called Joe Lovano: Family & Friends
For musicians of Joe Lovano’s stature, everything proceeds from the music, and the fund is no exception.
“Joe had reached out several months ago and said that he wanted to book a show,’ said BOP STOP director Bryan Kennard. “And of course, when Joe Lovano said he wanted to book a show in Cleveland, how can you say no?”
With the date in the books, the idea for the fund arose, “The show was already supposed to be a show honoring his dad and other Cleveland jazz musicians, past, present, living, and no longer with us,” Kennard said when I interviewed him Sunday at the BOP STOP’s bar.
“But he called a few weeks ago and was like, ‘I would love to set up a scholarship,’ using the ticket sales and donations to put together a scholarship that honors his father and the legacy of Cleveland jazz musicians.”
The name chosen, The Tony “Big T” Lovano Cleveland Jazz Legacy Scholarship, points both forward and backward in time, acknowledging the contributions of elders and ensuring that they will be passed to a new generation. So it’s appropriate that Lovano chose a multi-generational cohort of musicians to join him.
The friends include pianist Anthony Fuoco, bassist, trumpeter Garrett Folger, Aidan Plank, organist David Thomas and a drum triumvirate of Carmen Castaldi, Jamey Haddad and Gary Jenkins. Family will include Pat Lovano, Laura-Jo Fiorilli and Judi Silvano, and will embrace another drummer, Anthony Lovano, Joe’s brother.
Kennard also promised an extended lineup of special guests. It goes without saying that they will be among the best the region has to offer. But the real stars of this project are the ones whose careers have not yet started, the students who, thanks to the fund, can follow Sunday’s all-stars to the stage of the BOP STOP and beyond.
“I think the impact could be really substantial, especially for any student working through the Music Settlement and coming up in the J@MS program,” Kennard said.
Joe Lovano’s latest album is entitled Homage, and that sentiment must have been on the saxophonist’s mind when he decided to create the fund.
“It’s a way of helping give some young students a little bit of perspective on their place within the overall jazz community. It’s like saying, ‘You’re part of this lineage. You’re part of this jazz legacy. This is part of where you are coming from.”
Joe Lovano: Family & Friends, Sunday, Sept. 21, 3 p.m., BOP STOP, 2920 Detroit Ave., Cleveland. At publication time, the event is sold out.
For the most complete listing of jazz and jazz-adjacent events., look to Jim Szabo’s essential, weekly Northeast Ohio jazz calendar.
NOTE: This article was written by a real human being. No artificial intelligence or generative language models were used in its creation.
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