Cleveland Jazz Orchestra’s 42nd Season Kick Off

On Friday, October 16, Clevelander and 2025 Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame inductee Jamey Haddad will join forces with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. Haddad will bring his world music influences and percussion instruments from various countries to the Maltz Performing Arts Center as part of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra’s concert series, “The World According to Jazz”.

The evening, titled Rhythm Nation, will feature Haddad playing many percussive instruments from around the world. “What draws me to the study of various musical cultures is the sense of how any music serves their people. Only the winners of musical functionality, service to the community, and the instruments that create the balanced sounds and textures, have survived and been refined over the test of time.”

Although often associated with world music and indigenous instruments, Haddad considers himself first and foremost a jazz musician and is excited to play with the full CJO Big Band. “I’m excited to build a rhythm section and music,” Haddad shared, “that, on a sonic level, isn’t typical for a big band.”

Haddad is considered a master of blending sounds and rhythms for a unique sonic solution from his huge collection of percussion instruments. He has also designed and created numerous instruments including the Hajira drum, the Hadgini drum, and Hadphoon.

The evening at the Maltz Performing Arts Center at Case Western Reserve University, is dedicated to the memory of Dave Morgan, 1957-2026, a longtime bassist with the CJO. Dave Morgan was a major force in the Northeast Ohio jazz scene as a composer and bassist and will be sorely missed.

The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra is Northeast Ohio’s premier jazz voice since 1985. Through inventive arrangements and original music, the CJO brings audiences the best jazz they’ve ever heard and the best jazz they’ve never heard. We are celebrating our 42^nd season.