Ojeda L. Penn

Obituary For Ojeda L. Penn

Ojeda L. Penn, the eldest of three children born in Montgomery, Alabama, to Luther and Sadie Gardner Penn, died on January 26, 2023, in a vehicular accident near his home in Atlanta, GA. Penn, who was 79, was a well-known, highly regarded jazz composer and pianist, band leader, and recording artist. In liner notes on his first album, “Happiness,” former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson said: “His numerous appearances at the City of Atlanta’s annual Piedmont Park Arts Festival, his concerts at colleges and his performances on local television stations reflect not only his love for the music but also his concern for providing his audiences with the opportunity to get involved personally with music.” Penn graduated in 1961 from Alabama State Laboratory High School and in 1966 from Alabama State University. After graduate studies at Emory University, he remained there for 11 years as an instructor in Jazz History. Emulating his parents’ love of language, he taught English for 27 years at Atlanta Metropolitan State College. Beyond the classroom, Penn regularly performed at jazz festivals and recorded original compositions, which included a pioneering rap song on the horrors of apartheid. Survivors include his wife, Angie Neely Penn, his son, Kwame Penn, and his grandson, Malcolm Penn, all of Atlanta; his sister, Vanzetta Penn McPherson (Montgomery); his brother, Wilbur K. Penn (Dallas); several in-laws, cousins, devoted friends, and an admiring legion of students and fans. As he once said, “My music defines me as a human being. Music tells me ‘who’ I am, and how I should feel about myself.” On Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 11:00 a.m., a memorial service will be held at the Kelsey Pavilion, Atlanta Metropolitan College, 1630 Metropolitan Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Ojeda’s memory to the Apex Museum, 135 Auburn Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30303 (apexmuseum.org), or to ArtsXchange, 2148 Newnan Street, East Point, GA 30344, (artsxchange.org).