Cincinnati Jazz icon Ed Moss passed away on Sept. 9. He was 75. The pianist was a West Virginia native who began playing in Cincinnati while commuting between Huntington and Indiana University, where, at 20, he was serving a fellowship. Moss eventually settled in Cincinnati and opened several clubs and restaurants (he also had a passion for good food). Moss’ most recent endeavor was the Schwartz Point Jazz Club, located on Vine Street, between Over-the-Rhine and Corryville, where he performed weekly with his Society Jazz Orchestra (a regional staple for more than three decades). The club was small and intimate, and beloved by in-the-know local musicians and Jazz fans.
Moss’ dedication to Jazz led him to host workshops at the club, where he’d try to bring together club players and students from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. In Michael Kearns’ 2013 CityBeat profile of Moss and Schwartz Point, the musician said, “Some things you can’t learn in a classroom. You can learn theory and get help learning your instrument, but you have to learn on the bandstand.”
Although unable to play the final few months of his life due to illness, Moss had remained busy not only with performances, but also with album releases. He and the Society Jazz Orchestra released the album Further Extensions earlier this year (it’s available for purchase as a download or CD at cdbaby.com/cd/edmossthesocietyjazzorch), which was the follow-up to 2015’s Back To Be-Bop, an album that featured the unique pointed façade of Schwartz Point on its cover.
A crowd-funding page has been created to help Moss’ family with funeral, medical and other expenses. Visit gofundme.com/ed-moss to lend a hand. His family also created a tribute page at ed.moss.muchloved.com where fans have been posting photos and sharing memories.
Here is a short video documentary on Moss from five years ago made by U.C. student Ian Johnson:
Ed Moss – To The Point from New Media Bureau on Vimeo.
More Local Notes
• Fifty West Brewing Company (7668 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township, fiftywestbrew.com) presents its fourth annual Fifty Fest this Saturday. Along with food from several local restaurants and beers from numerous area breweries, the all-day event (running noon-midnight) will showcase local music on three stages. The array of artists scheduled to appear include some of the best Rock, Roots and Blues acts in the city: Leggy, Multimagic, Krystal Peterson and the Queen City Band, The Whiskey Shambles, Common Center, Strange Mechanics, Todd Hepburn, Noah Wotherspoon, The Part-Time Gentlemen and Bam Powell and the Troublemakers.
Admission is $10. Find more info at fiftyfest.fiftywestbrew.com.
• Friday and Saturday, Northside Yacht Club (423 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, northsideyachtclub.com) plays host to Gypsy Fest, featuring Hip Hop artists primarily from the local scene. Performers scheduled to appear throughout the two-day event include Oski Isaiah, M.O. Hour, Ricky James, Devin Burgess, Eugenius, Buggs Tha Rocka, DJ Merk Out, Partyocalypse and many others. Doors open at 6 p.m. both nights. Admission is $10.
• The Bluegrass for Babies benefit concert for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Perinatal Institute returns for its eighth year to Seasongood Pavilion (1600 Art Museum Drive, Eden Park), site of the first Bluegrass for Babies event. The concert was founded by Anne and Matt Schneider as a way to give back — the couple’s newborn son received life-saving surgery from Cincinnati Children’s. The event evolved into the Healthy Roots Foundation, which is active year-round and provides tools and information to families for raising healthy children. The Foundation has donated more than $150,000 to Children’s since it began.
Performing at this year’s Bluegrass for Babies — which runs 3-9 p.m. Saturday — are local favorites the Comet Bluegrass All-Stars and Hickory Robot, plus Lancaster, Ohio’s Hocking River String Band. Jennifer Ellis will also perform a special set for kids at the family-friendly event. Tickets are $15 in advance at bluegrassforbabies.com or $20 the day of the concert.
CONTACT MIKE BREEN: mbreen@citybeat.com
This article appears in Sep 7-14, 2016.
