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South Florida Jazz Inc President Dr. Ron Weber Honored as 2020 JJA Jazz Hero The Jazz Journalists Association is pleased to announce its slate of 2020 Jazz Heroes Advocates who have had significant impact in their local communities. In this troubling time, as the world fights a pandemic, the JJA is proud to celebrate the hearts, souls and efforts of 27 "activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz" in 23 U.S. cities. These Jazz Heroes are united by their devotions to put jazz into the public sphere, for all to enjoy. The 'Jazz Hero' awards, made annually on the basis of nominations from community members, are presented by their local fans and friends in conjunction with the JJA's annual Jazz Awards honoring significant achievements in jazz music and journalism. Please spread the word of Jazz Heroes and the photo collage designed for easy sharing on your own social media posts. Start a conversation about the jazz scene in South Florida and it will almost inevitably lead to Dr. Ronald B. Weber. Weber, at six feet, seven inches tall, is a towering figure in the local jazz community, as well as one of its outspoken ambassadors and enterprising organizers. For the past 26 years he's served as president and artistic director of the non-profit, all-volunteer organization South Florida Jazz, coming aboard just two years after its founding. Throughout that span, Ron has been brought the jazz's most revered artists (such as Milt Jackson, Betty Carter, Sonny Rollins, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny and Ron Carter) to the region, first in conjunction with the Hollywood Jazz Festival and subsequently with South Florida Jazz’s namesake concert series. Under his leadership, the festival has sustained a program of eight diverse, high-quality performances each season, with a focus on providing a platform for up-and-coming performers whose careers stand to gain from early, widespread exposure. The approach has a proven track record, as Weber points to four artists in particular -- vocalists Cecile McLorin Salvant and Kurt Elling and pianists Brad Mehldau and Hiromi -- who were featured in an SFJ performance before going on to popular acclaim. With Weber at the helm, SFJ has grown in scope and scale. In addition to its yearly performance season, , it supports jazz education in southeast Florida at elementary, high school, and college levels, aiming to introduce young musicians to life under the bright lights through real-world performing experience. Local student ensembles often open for top-billed performers at SFJ shows at the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center in Davie, Florida. That commitment to jazz education reflects Weber’s foundational interests. Born in Detroit to musically inclined parents, he began playing drums at age 11, and it became an obsession. He recalls practicing for up to 12 hours a day during the summers he was studying classical percussion and timpani with members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Then jazz caught Weber’s ears. He anchored the rhythm section in a Mumford High School jazz band that was good enough to play Stan Kenton charts. During college he perfected his craft as a timpanist with the University of Michigan Orchestra and drummer in a jazz quintet that featured future star tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, then enrolled in Detroit's Wayne State University. Weber gigged throughout college, but as graduation neared, his faced a fork in the road. One path led to a career in jazz, with all its precariousness. His other option medicine, a field that —no surprise — carried his parents’ blessing. Weber agonized over the choice. Finally a letter from Dave Brubeck — a one-time dinner guest at Weber’s parents’ house —steered him to his future. “Dave wrote that being a jazz musician was a very difficult and precarious life, " our Hero remembers, "except for a scarce few players. If given an opportunity to study a profession such as medicine, [Dave said] I should take it and I could always have music as a wonderful avocation without the anguish. Of course, he was right. That’s pretty much what I did.” Weber became a respected neurologist in the Fort Lauderdale area (he has since retired), but his passion for jazz hadn’t waned a bit since his college years. It’s in large part due to largesse and guidance such as his that South Florida continues to attract top-notch jazz talent, nurturing students seeking to learn the craft, professionals eager to share it and listeners who benefit from it all. While Dr. Ronald B. Weber may view his endeavors as natural outcomes of his love for jazz and dedication to its perseverance, we see them for what they are: Heroic. — Brian Zimmerman |
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