By Christina Easter
After nearly thirty years of ensuring that Cuyahoga Community College promotes and presents jazz to the world, Terri Pontremoli, artistic director of Tri-C JazzFest receives DownBeat magazine’s lifetime achievement award. Pontremoli had a long career of playing in orchestra pits and symphonies as a classical violinist with her sister, who is a pianist. But jazz was part of her DNA as she grew up listening to the music with her dad who played jazz guitar.
About midway through her life, Pontremoli decided she wanted to do something in jazz and joined Tri-C with a $7,500 budget which she used to work on community outreach and do educational shows in schools. Later she became the director of Tri-C JazzFest and has seen the festival go from a two day education event in which high school bands played for national jazz artists to a 10-day event with community performances at the East Cleveland Public Library and Karamu House.
Currently, the Festival presents jazz throughout the year which culminates in a weekend in June at Playhouse Square. But Pontremoli doesn’t feel that she’s done anything special, just what was needed to promote the music.
“Funny thing is, when you’re in the trenches all the time, you don’t think about anybody recognizing you for what you’ve done,” Pontremoli said. “It’s really rewarding to work at something you love and that in itself is enough of an award.
But I was delighted when Frank Alkyer, editor and publisher of DownBeat magazine called and told me, ‘you’ve been at this a long time and it’s time that we recognize you.’”
Dominick Farinacci, Director of Tri-C JazzFest Academy first met Pontremoli at age 13 and has worked with her pretty much his entire adult life. Upon hearing of her award, Farinacci said he thought of course, it is well deserved.
“Terri’s been doing an incredible job for a long time because of her work ethic, understanding of quality and passion for jazz which shows through her programming and relationship with musicians all over the world,” Farinacci said.
“She brings in great artists and local, national, and international culture to Tri-C. I know that the lifetime achievement award has a certain sound of finality but I know Terri’s spirit and she is just getting started,” Farinacci said.
Pontremoli recalls the success she felt after Tri-C JazzFest’s 25th Anniversary around Tommy LiPuma, one of the most successful pop and jazz producers of all time who has 33 gold and platinum records to his credit, 33 Grammy nominations, and three Grammy awards.
The Anniversary featured artists who LiPuma worked with such as Natalie Cole, Diana Kroll, David Sanborn, Joe Sample, Al Jarreau, George Benson, Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra as the centerpiece as well as Cleveland musicians Little Jimmy Scott and Joe Lovano.
After the anniversary celebration, Pontremoli went to work at the Cleveland Arts Prize but was “jonesing” for jazz. She moved to Detroit and worked as the managing director of their JazzFest for six years before returning to Tri-C where she’s been since.
As director, Pontremoli continues to add to Cleveland’s jazz legacy by ensuring that students learn jazz through the jazz studies program and JazzFest Academy. During the popular summer camp, students learn the music they’re going to play for the festival and many of them “hip” their parents to jazz.
Many former students now teach at the College including Farinacci, John Thomas, Anthony Taddeo, and Curtis Taylor. Pontremoli encouraged Farinacci’s mom to enroll him into Tri-C after learning he was listening to the famous trumpeter, Louis Armstrong.
“It was the first time that I met students with common interests who loved this music from different places in Cleveland,” Farinacci said. “She got me into the Saturday morning program which is the same program I now run, many years later.”
Kate Lamb, Interim Associate Dean of Creative Arts said, “Terri is always looking to include students in programming and events. Also, Tri-C makes the festival accessible and affordable for all people as well as provide a unique experience which is important.”
Pontremoli said she works in jazz because it keeps her closer to her dad in some way. When asked what her dad would say about her lifetime achievement award she says, “he would say you did good kid.”
