Editing Jimmy Heath

{{Short description|American jazz saxophonist, composer, and band leader (1926–2020)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{use American English|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- For individuals; see Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| image               = Jimmy_Heath_1998.jpg
| alt                 =
| caption             = Heath in 1998
| background          = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name          = James Edward Heath
| alias               = Little Bird
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1926|10|25}}
| birth_place         = {{nowrap|[[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, U.S.}}
| death_place         = [[Loganville, Georgia]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|2020|1|19|1926|10|25}}
| instrument          = {{hlist|Saxophone||flute}}
| genre               = {{hlist|[[Jazz]]|[[bebop]]|[[hard bop]]}}
| occupation          = {{hlist|Musician|composer|arranger|educator}}
| years_active        = 1940s–2020
| label               = {{hlist|[[Riverside Records|Riverside]]|[[Limelight Records|Limelight]]|[[Impulse! Records|Impulse]]|[[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]|[[Verve Records|Verve]]|[[Xanadu Records|Xanadu]]|[[Landmark Records|Landmark]]|[[SteepleChase Records|SteepleChase]]}}
| past_member_of      = [[Heath Brothers]]
| website             = {{url|jimmyheath.com}}
| module           = {{Infobox person
| embed            = yes
| relatives        = {{ubl|[[Percy Heath]] (brother)|[[Albert Heath]] (brother)}}
}}
}}

'''James Edward Heath''' (October 25, 1926 – January 19, 2020), nicknamed '''Little Bird''', was an American [[jazz]] saxophonist, composer, arranger, and [[big band]] leader. He was the brother of bassist [[Percy Heath]] and drummer [[Albert Heath]].

==Biography==
Heath was born in Philadelphia on October 25, 1926.<ref name=ALLMUSIC>[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p6707|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic biography]</ref> His father, an auto mechanic, played the clarinet, performing on the weekends. His mother sang in a church choir. The family frequently played recordings of big band jazz groups around the house. Heath's sister was a pianist, while his brothers were bassist [[Percy Heath]] (older) and drummer [[Albert Heath]] (his youngest sibling).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/01/19/535609079/jazz-saxophone-legend-jimmy-heath-has-died?t=1579512784581&t=1579620083012|title=Jazz Saxophone Legend Jimmy Heath Has Died|publisher=NPR|date=January 19, 2020|access-date=January 21, 2020}}</ref>

During World War II, Heath was rejected for the draft for being below the minimum weight.

Heath originally played [[alto saxophone]]. He earned the nickname "Little Bird" after his work for [[Howard McGhee]] and [[Dizzy Gillespie]] in the late 1940s, during which his playing displayed influences from [[Charlie Parker]] (Parker's nickname was "Bird"). He then switched to [[tenor saxophone]].<ref name="ALLMUSIC" />

From late 1945 through most of 1946, he performed with the [[Nat Towles]] band. In 1946, he formed his own band, which was a fixture on the Philadelphia jazz scene until 1949.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/entertainment/6996531-181/jazz-legend-jimmy-heath-stars|title=10 days of jazz at the Healdsburg Jazz Festival|date=May 25, 2017|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat}}</ref> The band included [[John Coltrane]], [[Benny Golson]], [[Specs Wright]], [[Cal Massey]], [[Johnny Coles]], [[Ray Bryant]], and [[Nelson Boyd]]. [[Charlie Parker]] and [[Max Roach]] sat in on one occasion.<ref name="bluenote2">{{Cite web|title=Blue Note JIMMY HEATH BIG BAND - 2019-01-12|url=http://www.bluenote.net/newyork/schedule/moreinfo.cgi?id=16542|website=www.bluenote.net}}</ref> The band performed at venues such as the [[Apollo Theater]] in Harlem. Although Heath recalls that the band recorded a few demos on acetate, it never released any recordings, and its arrangements were lost at a Chicago train station. The band dissolved in 1949 so that Heath could join Dizzy Gillespie's band.<ref>Porter, Lewis. ''John Coltrane: His Life and Music'' Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1999. {{ISBN|9780472101610}}.</ref><!-- I have searched the online copy of the Autobiography but cannot find complete support. Yes, he had them all in his band at one time or another, but they seem to overlap. Maybe someone with a print copy can verify, as not all the pages appear online. Thanks. -->

Heath was arrested and convicted twice for the sale of heroin; he was an acknowledged addict. The first time, in the spring of 1954, he was sent to the [[Federal Medical Center, Lexington]], Kentucky, where many musicians and celebrities (and other people) were given treatment.  After release, In early 1955, still an addict, he was arrested again, and served most of a six-year prison sentence in [[United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg|Lewisburg]].  He went cold turkey, and was able to spend a lot of his time engaged in music. While in prison he actually composed most of the [[Chet Baker]] and [[Art Pepper]] album ''[[Playboys (Chet Baker and Art Pepper album)|Playboys]]'' (1956).<ref name="ALLMUSIC" /> He was released early, on May 21, 1959, and remained clean for the rest of his life; conditions of probation made it difficult, but he managed to start rebuilding his career.<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath|last1=Heath|first1=Jimmy|last2=McLaren|first2=Joseph|publisher=Temple University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4399-0198-4|location=Philadelphia|pages=98–101}}</ref>

He briefly joined [[Miles Davis]]'s group in 1959, replacing Coltrane, and also worked with [[Kenny Dorham]] and [[Gil Evans]].<ref name="ALLMUSIC" /><ref name="wsj_2010-07-19" /> Heath recorded extensively as leader and sideman. During the 1960s, he frequently worked with [[Milt Jackson]] and [[Art Farmer]].<ref name="ALLMUSIC" />

In 1975, he and his brothers formed the [[Heath Brothers]], also featuring pianist [[Stanley Cowell]].<ref name="ALLMUSIC" />

Jimmy Heath composed "For Minors Only", "Picture of Heath", "Bruh' Slim", and "CTA" and recorded them on his 1975 album ''[[Picture of Heath]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/picture-of-heath-mw0001881017|title=Picture of Heath - Jimmy Heath {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|website=AllMusic|access-date=January 1, 2018}}</ref>

In the 1980s, Heath joined the faculty of the [[Aaron Copland School of Music]] at [[Queens College, City University of New York]].  With the rank of Professor, he led the creation of the Jazz Program at Queens College and attracted prominent musicians such as [[Donald Byrd]] to the campus. He also served on the board of the Louis Armstrong Archives on campus, and the restoration and management of the Louis and Lucille Armstrong Residence in [[Corona, Queens]], near his own home.<ref>Berman, Eleanor. [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06001/629777.stm "The jazz of Queens encompasses music royalty"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102055101/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06001/629777.stm |date=January 2, 2012 }}, ''[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]'', January 1, 2006. Accessed October 1, 2009. "When the trolley tour proceeds, Mr. Knight points out the nearby Dorie Miller Houses, a co-op apartment complex in Corona where Clark Terry and Cannonball and Nat Adderley lived and where saxophonist Jimmy Heath still resides."</ref> In addition to teaching at Queens College for more than 20 years, he also taught at [[Jazzmobile]].<ref name="wsj_2010-07-19">{{cite news |title=A Jazz Colossus Steps Out  |first=Will |last=Friedwald |author-link=Will Friedwald |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704518904575366003370572496?KEYWORDS=jimmy+heath |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |publisher=[[Dow Jones & Company|Dow Jones & Co.]] |location=New York |issn= 0099-9660 |date=July 19, 2010 |access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref>

==Personal life==
At a coming-home party the night after his release from Lewisburg Penitentiary, he met his eventual wife, Mona Brown, whom he married in 1960; they had two children, Roslyn and Jeffrey.<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath|last1=Heath|first1=Jimmy|last2=McLaren|first2=Joseph|publisher=Temple University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4399-0198-4|location=Philadelphia|pages=80–90}}</ref>

Heath was the father of R&B songwriter/musician [[James Mtume]].<ref name="nea">{{cite web|url=http://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/jmCMS/master.php?id=2003_01 |title=NEA Jazz Masters: Jimmy Heath |author=National Endowment for the Arts |author-link=National Endowment for the Arts |publisher=National Endowment for the Arts |access-date=July 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320130811/http://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/jmCMS/master.php?id=2003_01 |archive-date=March 20, 2012 }}</ref>

In 2010 his autobiography ''I Walked With Giants'' was published by the Temple University Press.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tupress.temple.edu/book/0317|title=Temple University Press|website=tupress.temple.edu}}</ref>  Heath stood just 5 feet, 3 inches.

He notably played in a jazz concert at the [[White House]], when President [[Bill Clinton]] borrowed his saxophone for one number.<ref name="nytimes"/>

Heath died on January 19, 2020, in [[Loganville, Georgia]], of natural causes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jazz Saxophone Legend Jimmy Heath Has Died |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2020/01/19/535609079/jazz-saxophone-legend-jimmy-heath-has-died |website=NPR.org |access-date=January 19, 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

== Awards and legacy ==
He received a [[Grammy]] nomination for box-set liner notes of ''The Heavyweight Champion, John Coltrane, the Complete Atlantic Recordings'' (Rhino, 1995), and Grammy nominations for ''Little Man Big Band'' (Verve, 1994) and ''Live at the Public Theatre'' with The Heath Brothers (Columbia, 1980).<ref name="nytimes">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/01/20/us/ap-us-obit-jimmy-heath-.html|title=Jazz Composer and Saxophone Player Jimmy Heath Dies at 93|agency=Associated Press|date=January 20, 2020|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/jimmy-heath |title=Artist: Jimmy Heath |publisher=grammy.com |year=2020 |access-date=January 21, 2020}}</ref>

Heath was a recipient of the 2003 [[NEA Jazz Masters|NEA Jazz Masters Award]].<ref name="wsj_2010-07-19" /> In 2004, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Human Letters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qc.cuny.edu/Pages/NotFound.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060908185445/http://www.qc.cuny.edu/nis/Releases/viewNews.php?id=69|url-status=dead|title=Queens College, City University of New York|archive-date=September 8, 2006|website=www.qc.cuny.edu}}</ref>

Heath worked on over 100 albums and wrote more than 125 compositions. Many have since become [[jazz standards]], recorded by artists such as; [[Art Farmer]], [[Cannonball Adderley]], [[Clark Terry]], Chet Baker, Miles Davis, [[James Moody (saxophonist)|James Moody]], [[Milt Jackson]], [[Ahmad Jamal]], [[Ray Charles]], Dizzy Gillespie, [[J. J. Johnson]], and [[Dexter Gordon]]. Heath also composed suites and string quartets, and a symphony, ''Three Ears'', which premiered in 1988 at Queens College, with [[Maurice Peress]] conducting.<ref name="bluenote">{{Cite web|title=Blue Note JIMMY HEATH BIG BAND - 2019-01-12|url=http://www.bluenote.net/newyork/schedule/moreinfo.cgi?id=16542|website=www.bluenote.net}}</ref>

== Books ==
*{{cite book |last1=Heath |first1=Jimmy |last2=McLaren |first2=Joseph |title=I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MSqCZBIKcJoC |publisher=[[Temple University Press]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4399-0198-4}}

== Discography ==
<small>Sources:<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath|last1=Heath|first1=Jimmy|last2=McLaren|first2=Joseph|publisher=Temple University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4399-0198-4|location=Philadelphia|pages=296–300}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jimmy-heath-mn0000120241/discography|title=Jimmy Heath &#124; Album Discography|website=AllMusic}}</ref></small>

=== As leader ===
* 1959: ''[[The Thumper]]'' ([[Riverside Records|Riverside]], 1959)
* 1960: ''[[Really Big!]]'' (Riverside, 1960)
* 1961: ''[[The Quota (Jimmy Heath album)|The Quota]]'' (Riverside, 1961)
* 1962: ''[[Triple Threat (Jimmy Heath album)|Triple Threat]]'' (Riverside, 1962)
* 1963: ''[[Swamp Seed]]'' (Riverside, 1963)
* 1964:	''Fast Company'' ([[Milestone Records|Milestone]], 1975)[2LP]
* 1964: ''[[On the Trail]]'' (Riverside, 1964)
* 1965: ''[[Jam Gems: Live at the Left Bank]]'' with [[Freddie Hubbard]] (Label M, 2001) – Live
* 1972: ''[[The Gap Sealer]]'' ([[Cobblestone Records|Cobblestone]], 1973) – also released as ''Jimmy'' ([[Muse Records|Muse]], 1979)
* 1973: ''[[Love and Understanding (Jimmy Heath album)|Love and Understanding]]'' (Muse, 1973)
* 1974: ''[[The Time and the Place (Jimmy Heath album)|The Time and the Place]]'' ([[Landmark Records|Landmark]], 1994)
* 1975: ''[[Picture of Heath]]'' ([[Xanadu Records|Xanadu]], 1975)
* 1985: ''[[New Picture]]'' (Landmark, 1985)
* 1987: ''[[Peer Pleasure]]'' (Landmark, 1987)
* 1991: ''[[You've Changed (album)|You've Changed]]'' ([[SteepleChase Records|SteepleChase]], 1992)
* 1992: ''[[Little Man Big Band]]'' ([[Verve Records|Verve]], 1992)
* 1995: ''[[You or Me (Jimmy Heath album)|You or Me]]'' (SteepleChase, 1995)
* 2004, 06: ''Turn Up the Heath'' ([[Planet Arts Records|Planet Arts]], 2006)
* 2007, 10: ''Endless Search'' (Origin, 2010)
* 2011: ''Togetherness: Live at the Blue Note'' (Jazz Legacy Productions, 2013) – Live
<!--*2014: ''My Ideal'' (Jazz Elite S.P.) – digital-->
* 2020?:  ''Love Letter'' ([[Impulse! Records|Impulse!]], 2020)

'''Compilation'''
* ''Nice People - The Riverside Collection'' (Original Jazz Classics) – rec. 1959–64

'''With the Heath Brothers'''
* ''Marchin' On'' ([[Strata-East Records|Strata-East]], 1975)
* ''Passin' Thru'' ([[Columbia Records|Columbia]], 1978)
* ''Live at the Public Theatre'' (Columbia, 1979)
* ''In Motion'' (Columbia, 1979)
* ''Expressions of Life'' (Columbia, 1980)
* ''Brotherly Love'' ([[Antilles Records|Antilles]], 1981)
* ''Brothers and Others'' (Antilles, 1981)
* ''As We Were Saying'' ([[Concord Records|Concord]], 1997)
* ''Jazz Family'' (Concord, 1998)
* ''Endurance'' (Jazz Legacy Productions, 2009)

=== As sideman ===
{{col-begin}}
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'''With [[Kenny Dorham]]'''
* ''[[Kenny Dorham Quintet (album)|Kenny Dorham Quintet]]'' ([[Debut Records|Debut]], 1953)
* ''[[Showboat (Kenny Dorham album)|Showboat]]'' (Time, 1960)

'''With [[Art Farmer]]'''
* ''[[The Time and the Place: The Lost Concert]]'' ([[Mosaic Records|Mosaic]], 1966) - released 2007
* ''[[The Art Farmer Quintet Plays the Great Jazz Hits]]'' (Columbia, 1967)
* ''[[The Time and the Place (Art Farmer album)|The Time and the Place]]'' (Columbia, 1967)
* ''[[Homecoming (Art Farmer album)|Homecoming]]'' (Mainstream, 1971)

'''With [[Curtis Fuller]]'''
* ''[[Soul Trombone]]'' (Impulse!, 1962)
* ''[[Smokin' (Curtis Fuller album)|Smokin']]'' (Mainstream, 1972)

'''With [[Milt Jackson]]'''
* ''[[Vibrations (Milt Jackson album)|Vibrations]]'' (Atlantic, 1961)
* ''[[Big Bags]]'' (Riverside, 1962)
* ''[[Invitation (Milt Jackson album)|Invitation]]'' (Riverside, 1962)
* ''[[Statements (album)|Statements]]'' (Impulse!, 1962)
* ''[[Milt Jackson Quintet Live at the Village Gate]]'' (Riverside, 1962)
* ''[[Jazz 'n' Samba]]''  (Impulse! 1964)
* ''[[In a New Setting]]'' (Limelight, 1964)
* ''[[Ray Brown / Milt Jackson]]'' with [[Ray Brown (musician)|Ray Brown]] (Verve, 1965)
* ''[[Born Free (Milt Jackson album)|Born Free]]'' (Limelight, 1966)
* ''[[Olinga (album)|Olinga]]'' (CTI, 1974)

'''With [[Sam Jones (musician)|Sam Jones]]'''
* ''[[The Soul Society]]'' (Riverside, 1960)
* ''[[The Chant (album)|The Chant]]'' (Riverside, 1961)
* ''[[Down Home (Sam Jones album)|Down Home]]'' (Riverside, 1962)

'''With [[Herbie Mann]]'''
* ''[[Latin Mann]]'' (Columbia, 1965)
* ''Big Boss Mann'' (1970)

'''With [[Blue Mitchell]]'''
* ''[[Blue Soul (Blue Mitchell album)|Blue Soul]]'' ([[Riverside Records|Riverside]], 1959)
* ''[[A Sure Thing]]'' (Riverside, 1962)
{{col-2}}
'''With others'''
* [[Nat Adderley]], ''[[That's Right!]]'' (Riverside, 1960)
* [[Donald Byrd]], ''[[Up with Donald Byrd]]'' ([[Verve Records|Verve]], 1965)
* [[Benny Carter]], ''[[Over the Rainbow (Benny Carter album)|Over the Rainbow]]'' (MusicMasters, 1989)
* [[Stanley Cowell]], ''[[Regeneration (Stanley Cowell album)|Regeneration]]'' (Strata-East, 1976)
* [[Tadd Dameron|Continuum]], ''Mad About Tadd'' ([[Palo Alto Records|Palo Alto]], 1980)<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r33823|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic review: Continium - Mad About Tadd]</ref>
* [[Miles Davis]], ''[[Miles Davis Volume 2]]'' (Blue Note, 1953) – reissued mostly on Miles Davis Vol 1 - 12 inch LP
* [[Charles Earland]], ''[[Black Drops]]'' (Prestige, 1970)
* [[Red Garland]], ''[[The Quota (Red Garland album)|The Quota]]'' (MPS, 1971)
* [[Bunky Green]], ''[[My Babe (Bunky Green album)|My Babe]]'' (Vee-Jay, 1965) – rec. 1960
* [[Johnny Hartman]], ''[[I've Been There]]'' ([[Perception Records|PErception]], 1973)
* [[Albert Heath]], ''[[Kwanza (The First)]]'' (Muse, 1973)
* [[Elmo Hope]], ''[[Homecoming!]]'' (Riverside, 1961)
* [[Freddie Hubbard]], ''[[Hub Cap (album)|Hub Cap]]'' (Blue Note, 1961)
* [[J. J. Johnson]], ''All Stars (with [[Clifford Brown]])'' (Blue Note, 1953) – reissued as ''[[The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 1]]'' (1957)
* [[Carmell Jones]], ''[[Jay Hawk Talk]]'' (Prestige, 1965)
* [[Howard McGhee]], ''[[Howard McGhee and Milt Jackson]]'' (Savoy, 1948)
* The [[Modern Jazz Quartet]], ''[[MJQ & Friends: A 40th Anniversary Celebration]]'' (Atlantic, 1994)
* Kanji Ohta & The Jazz Family, ''Our Jazz Family'' (JZAZ, 2012) – rec. 2002
* [[Don Patterson (organist)|Don Patterson]], ''[[These Are Soulful Days]]'' (Muse, 1972)
* [[Pony Poindexter]], ''[[Pony's Express]]'' (Epic, 1962)
* [[Julian Priester]], ''[[Keep Swingin']]'' (Riverside. 1960)
* [[Don Sickler]], ''The Music of Kenny Dorham'' (Reservoir, 1983)
* [[Don Sleet]], ''All Members'' (Jazzland, 1961)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.allaboutjazz.com/don-sleet-all-members.php|title=Jazz news: Don Sleet: All Members|first=All About|last=Jazz|website=All About Jazz News| date=November 17, 2009 }}</ref>
* [[Cal Tjader]], ''[[Soul Sauce]]'' (Verve, 1965)
* [[Charles Tolliver]], ''[[Music Inc.]]'' (Strata-East, 1970)
* Diego Urcola, ''[[Viva (Diego Urcola album)|Viva]]'' (Cam Jazz, 2007)
* [[Gerald Wilson]], ''[[New York, New Sound]]'' (Mack Avenue, 2003)
* [[Nancy Wilson (jazz singer)|Nancy Wilson]], ''[[Turned to Blue]]'' (2006)
{{col-end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.jimmyheath.com Official website]
* {{IMDb name|1183016}}
* [http://www.brotherlyjazz.com Brotherly Jazz:The Heath Brothers] - DVD Documentary
* [http://www.visionaryproject.com/heathjimmy Jimmy Heath's oral history video excerpts] at The National Visionary Leadership Project
* [http://www.cubaencuentro.com/cultura/articulos/el-itinerario-musical-de-bebo-valdes-chico-rita-263176 B.S.O Chico y Rita Film.]
{{Jimmy Heath}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Jimmy}}
[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:African-American saxophonists]]
[[Category:American jazz tenor saxophonists]]
[[Category:American male saxophonists]]
[[Category:Cobblestone Records artists]]
[[Category:Columbia Records artists]]
[[Category:Hard bop saxophonists]]
[[Category:Landmark Records artists]]
[[Category:Mainstream jazz saxophonists]]
[[Category:Miles Davis]]
[[Category:Milestone Records artists]]
[[Category:Muse Records artists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:People from Corona, Queens]]
[[Category:Post-bop saxophonists]]
[[Category:Riverside Records artists]]
[[Category:SteepleChase Records artists]]
[[Category:Verve Records artists]]
[[Category:Bebop saxophonists]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from New York (state)]]
[[Category:21st-century American saxophonists]]
[[Category:American male jazz musicians]]
[[Category:Heath Brothers members]]
[[Category:American Jazz Orchestra members]]
[[Category:20th-century American saxophonists]]
[[Category:American jazz educators]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame members]]
[[Category:NEA Jazz Masters]]