Jojay and the Joy of Anyway

His name is Joseph James Pennyway, or Jojay for short. His world is the lower York Road uber-blighted corridor of Baltimore’s St. Pius V parish, and if Charm City’s Archdiocese had an absolute hell on earth, this just might be it. No one would blame Jojay if life hardly mattered to him. He learned much longer ago to develop much broader shoulders than his immediate universe required of him.

What else could he do as the only Catholic young man amidst Pentecostal and Evangelical neighbors who’ve tried to recruit him into their lodge since his eighteenth birthday? Who is he supposed to be in life, with a father in Jessup prison, and a mother addicted, insane, and homeless since God knows when? Does anyone expect him to care about five different siblings from two different fathers and two different mothers who aren’t around anyway? Please don’t even mention any school money at all, not even Coppin State or Morgan State school money.

And really, now? Jojay could pass for a Johns Hopkins grad student in the way he carries himself with his faith, maturity, and character, but did he get the memo that he’s in P5 Parish deep down in the hood, not Cathedral parish up there near Roland Park?

So just what does Jojay have? It’s his music—his jazz music, on his beloved piano and soon to be shared with the few and new Black Catholic friends of his P5 universe on bass, alto sax, vibes, and oh yeah, yeah, drums—always and forever drums, in many more ways than one. Jojay’s good, he is phenomenally good, yet he either doesn’t know it or else is resigned to not admitting it.

But Beulah does, and she gives her very old lady, and extremely quirky yet amazing voice to his reason for thriving. Beulah Hargrove is two rowhouses down from Jojay, but they’re way tighter than that. Miz B never forgot her little man Jojay from her Baltimore City Schools, music appreciation and music theory and composition, high school teaching days. She’s a P5 lady, too, and she has a plan for Mr. Pennyway. It certainly beats another boring weekend with her spoiled-as-anything grandson Louis Lamont from yuppieville way up in the Baltimore County suburbs. Some time away from Beulah’s old dog Bozo would be worth it as well!

Now if you think applying the wisdom of Mother Teresa to submitting an audition tape for the Rochester International Jazz Festival is just plain bonkers, Miz B isn’t buying it. No, Jojay, we pay our own way up there. And nope, uh, uh, dear Joseph James, they don’t cut you a check for an appearance at the free concerts.

So, what’s the point? Jojay must embrace every anyway that a since-deceased nun applied to her living sainthood. In the process, their ensemble Jazz Anyway crushes the Rochester stage, not only through baselines, improvs, and harmonies, but especially with forgiveness, kindness, tenacity, honesty, happiness, goodness, and pure excellence. And you won’t believe who just left this guy a message on his cell. Spoiler alert: He’s related to Miz B.

Jojay and the Joy of Anyway builds upon Going to Williamsport author Rich Agnello’s extensive jazz collection, his love for America’s original music fostered by his father, and his longtime financial membership in public radio station Jazz 90.1 based in his hometown of Rochester, New York.

All music lovers—current and future—who think nothing to something is just an impossible dream are invited to take a seat in the front row and hear Jojay play anyway!