Cleveland Jazz History-Joe Mosbrook

The interest of Jazz music came into my life back in 2014. It was after I had finished substituting on a Friday Night bowling league and had stopped by Giant Eagle for something to eat. Times were a little tough for me that year and I didn't have internet at my apartment, so, rather than keeping up with the rest of the world who were by that point of this digital realm knee-deep in streaming services, I remained old school, and only watched DVDs.

Next to the checkout line there was a rack of the latest titles. I scanned over a few and didn't see anything appealing until I found a title called "Whiplash". On the back, it featured a bald guy yelling at a kid on a drum set with various pops of universal acclaim. The brief story on the back made it seem to be a Jazz rendition of Full Metal Jacket.

Good enough. I took the $14.00 gamble and it paid off immensely as Whiplash caught me completely by surprise and ended up becoming one of my most cherished titles. The main characters revered greats like Buddy Rich and Charlie Parker and talked about alien forms of music (to me) like double time swing and called trombones 'bones and referred to the drum set as a kit.

I was seduced by this world and wanted to know more.

Fortunately, I knew just where to turn.

My good friend since the Middle School days, David Kasper, has created a Jazz-centered life from his childhood that carried over into adulthood and continues forth on this very day.

*As of this writing on 11/22/24, last night he played the halftime show at First Energy Stadium during a nationally-televised game where the Browns beat the Steelers.*

Trusting in his authoritarian knowledge of the subject matter, I asked what his opinion of Whiplash was.

"Well, it's a good movie. I won't deny that. But for a teacher to demand so much out of his students, he better be able to walk on air when he has to step up to the banister. And then you see him eventually play the piano later on in the film. And you're just like 'thats it?' That was my biggest beef with the film."

Fair point.

But to the uneducated eye, such as mine, I thought he was a terrific piano player. But for someone who can see beyond what is shown on camera and see techniques and flow invisible to me, I'm sure that his opinion throughout elite Jazz circles is not unique.

From that point forward I began to take the time to make plans of going to watch Dave play at various venues on the west side. A few at Brothers Lounge on W 117th and Detroit where he was the band leader and played several instruments, then later on at Vosh, on the other end of town in Lakewood near the Rocky River border with local legend Ernie Krivda.

Jazz music then grew to become a mild passion of mine. It never ascended to the heights of writing, literature, bowling, or poker. But it held steady residence within my soul as something to be greatly appreciated and that I loved very much. I bought a few CDs by Miles Davis and read a bit about Charlie Parker and watched another film about him called "Bird".

Then, during the pandemic, with vast amounts of time on my hands, I decided to invest a little further into Jazz and reached out to Dave again for local radio stations that centered on Jazz music. He pointed me in the right direction and that was when I discovered the most amazing radio station in the world: WKHR out of Bainbridge/Cleveland. WKHR is a non-profit radio station in Bainbridge Middle School that has zero commercials and plays Jazz and Big Band music 24 Hours a day. For four years straight now, I have WKHR on in the background, and—even though I have yet to meet any of them—I have grown to love the weekly volunteer DJs very much. From Uncle Bob and Dave's bantering on Saturday mornings, to Dreadlock Dave's Tuesday Night Vinyl hour, to Tom Brown's Tuesday morning dedication to his wife, and Ron "The Jazzman" Davis's weekly reminder that it's FRIDAY! It all is a daily slice of heaven to me that keeps me at peace.

Through WKHR I learned much more about artists like Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Dean Martin, and Billie Holiday. After having gotten the job as a record store clerk at Late Nite Records in Cleveland's Clark-Fulton neighborhood, my love for Jazz has grown such that it currently resides at the top of the totem pole.

I found Joe Mosbrook's book about Cleveland Jazz History in the basement of Lakewood Library during one of my weekly book digs. Originally, I bought it as an addition to the shop, but then my interest became piqued, and I decided to take it home for a read.

Joe winds the clock back all the way to the beginning of the 20th century of Cleveland's music scene and takes us through a quick odyssey of Jazz music's ups, downs, and trends that spanned under a shade of 100 years (it ends in 1992). I found the stories of Tad Dameron and his mental health battles, Bix Beiderbeck's tragic demise, Art Tatum's old dog piano domination at Val's in the Alley, and the wild ride of Peewee Jackson absolutely amazing.

If you are from Cleveland, and even if you are not particularly fond of Jazz, I still find this to be a very interesting and delightful read. I never knew the full depth of Jazz music's history in Cleveland, nor did I appreciate the integral contributions this great city had made to Jazz music as a whole. But as I look at the thriving scene in modern times, with venues like Brothers Lounge and The Bop Stop, Jazz-centric venues, it makes sense.

Easy, quick read.

Very enjoyable and educational.

*On a very somber side note. I was dismayed to learn, after having finished the book, that Joe Mosbrook had passed away on November 14th of 2024. Just 8 days ago from the conclusion of this written review. A true shame because I was hoping to see if him and Dave would be willing to share some coffee over Cleveland jazz memories, but alas, that shall never come to be. Perhaps in the next life. Until then, Joe, your contributions do not go unnoticed. Many blessings be upon your soul. God Bless, and rest easy my friend.*

Grade: A

Verdict: Read