Joel Kaye

Reed Player, composer, band leader, conductor. Born August 20, 1940 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA. Died September 18, 2022 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Unusually versatile musician (he divides his attention between 14 instruments) who played two years with Stan Kenton (1961‐63) and then became closely associated with Johnny Richards, one of Kenton's principal arrangers, organized the New York Neophonic Orchestra and became its conductor. Kaye began his professional Jazz career performing with the Billy May Band, the Ralph Marterie Orchestra, and the Woody Herman Orchestra, all before the age of twenty. In 1973, He started the New York Neophonic Orchestra, playing concert halls around NYC and recording four albums over the next fifteen years. After relocating to Denver in 1988, he created the Neophonic Jazz Orchestra, performing at Vartan’s jazz club for seven years, and recording two CDs for the “Live at Vartan’s Jazz” series. During the Denver years, he began directing the music of Johnny Richards and Stan Kenton for the Los Angeles Jazz Institute symposiums, and also toured with the Kenton Alumni Band. In 2014, he relocated full-time to Madison, WI where he directed his final incarnation of the Neophonic Jazz Orchestra, and continued to compose and arrange music.