John Von Ohlen

John Von Ohlen (May 13, 1941 – October 3, 2018)^[1] was an American jazz drummer who worked for Woody Herman in 1967 and 1969 as well as with Stan Kenton from 1970 to 1972.^[1]

Von Ohlen was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.^[2] He began playing trombone in middle school and played in band through high school.^[3] He graduated from North Central High School in Indianapolis in 1960.^[4] He briefly attended North Texas State University in Denton, Texas, and then returned to Indianapolis.^[3]

Von Ohlen led the Blue Wisp Big Band in Cincinnati from 1980 to 2018,^[5] and also groups under his own name; they ranged from quartets to big bands. From 1967 to 1968, he toured with Billy Maxted’s Manhattan Jazz Band. In the 1980s and 1990s, Von Ohlen was a member of a big band led by the pianist Steve Allee.^{[6][7][8][9][10][11]}

Von Ohlen died on October 3, 2018, in Cincinnati, Ohio at the age of 77.^[1][12]