The mission of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra is to increase awareness and appreciation of jazz by engaging the community with original music, exceptional performances, and inspirational educational programming. Learn, live, and love jazz. The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra has been Northeast Ohio’s premier jazz voice since 1985. Led by award-winning composer and trombonist Paul Ferguson, the CJO promotes jazz in its historical and contemporary forms, through concerts featuring a stellar line-up of jazz luminaries, arrangers, composers, and educators. At a CJO concert, you will enjoy “the best jazz you’ve ever heard and the best jazz you’ve never heard.” Through inventive, original music and effective, innovative Educational Outreach, the CJO shepherds young and up-and-coming musicians and provides our region with unique and important cultural experiences. The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.