30/04/2024
Herb Aronoff, to be inducted into the CJHOF (from his bio):
Herb Aronoff was born in Cincinnati and was raised in Richmond, Indiana. He began clarinet at age 8 and then later developed his love for the sax. Music became his life early, especially his love of jazz and he began playing professionally while still in his teen years in the 1950’s.
Many good jazz musicians came out of Richmond, including Harold Jones, who became TonyBennetts’s drummer. Harold wrote a book entitled “The Singer’s Drummer” in which he
mentioned Herb. They were together in the Richmond High School Band program.
Herb holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and did graduate work at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory
of Music, studying Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute and Oboe. He became an accomplished doubleron those instruments and played in touring Broadway productions including West Side Story, Chicago, Hello Dolly and many others. As a freelance woodwind performer he played in a wide variety of Cincinnati ensembles including: The Blue Wisp Big Band, Carmon DeLeone Studio Big Band, Bill Walters Big Band, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Pops, Cincinnati Playhouse Orchestra, Cincinnati Children’s Theater Orchestra, Taft Theater Orchestra, Palace
Theatre Orchestra, Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra, Cincinnati Music Hall Shows, Aronoff Center shows Orchestra, the Bob Braun Show on WLWT, the Lookout House Show Band and the
Beverly Hills Supper Club Show Band.
Herb was a charter member of the Blue Wisp Big Band, in which he played for 40 years . He appeared in all their recordings through his retirement in 2020. He also recorded with the
Cincinnati Symphony Pops Orchestra for nearly 30 years. Over the years Herb worked with such professionals as Red Skelton, Bob Hope, Liberace, Yul Brenner, Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley
MacLaine, Carol Channing, Gladys Knight, Tony Orlando, Doc Severinsen, Dave Brubeck, Rosemary Clooney, Eddie Daniels, Plas Johnson, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, Mel Torme,
Nelson Riddle, Linda Ronstadt and many others. He recorded for the Decca, Telarc, Mopro and Sea Breeze labels.
In addition to his rigorous performing career, he was an outstanding educator, having taught at CCM as an adjunct professor and many years in the public schools in
Massachusetts and Ohio. After his retirement from the schools, he and his wife established the Aronoff Studio which they operated until their retirement in 2020. His deep love for
music, especially jazz, was his indelible gift to hundreds of students, many of whom went on to their own significant musical careers, because of his dedication and
uncompromising artistic vision.
Herb passed away from complications of Parkinson’s Disease on Jan. 18, 2024. He will be inducted into the CJHOF May 19th at Mayerson Jewish Community Center.
TIckets: https://www.cincyjazzhof.org/product-page/ticket-to-2024-induction-may-19-2024
Student tickets: (ID required) https://www.cincyjazzhof.org/product-page/studentticket-to-induction-may-19-2024
