James Edward Heath (October 25, 1926 – January 19, 2020), nicknamedLittle Bird, was an Americanjazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, andbig band leader. He was the brother of bassistPercy Heath and drummerAlbert Heath.
Heath was born in Philadelphia on October 25, 1926.[1] 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 bassistPercy Heath (older) and drummerAlbert Heath (his youngest sibling).[2]
During World War II, Heath was rejected for the draft for being below the minimum weight.
From late 1945 through most of 1946, he performed with theNat Towles band. In 1946, he formed his own band, which was a fixture on the Philadelphia jazz scene until 1949.[3] The band includedJohn Coltrane,Benny Golson,Specs Wright,Cal Massey,Johnny Coles,Ray Bryant, andNelson Boyd.Charlie Parker andMax Roach sat in on one occasion.[4] The band performed at venues such as theApollo 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.[5]
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 theFederal 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 inLewisburg. 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 theChet Baker andArt Pepper albumPlayboys (1956).[1] 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.[6]
Jimmy Heath composed "For Minors Only", "Picture of Heath", "Bruh' Slim", and "CTA" and recorded them on his 1975 albumPicture of Heath.[8]
In the 1980s, Heath joined the faculty of theAaron Copland School of Music atQueens 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 asDonald 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 inCorona, Queens, near his own home.[9] In addition to teaching at Queens College for more than 20 years, he also taught atJazzmobile.[7]
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.[10]
Heath was the father of R&B songwriter/musicianJames Mtume.[11]
In 2010 his autobiographyI Walked With Giants was published by the Temple University Press.[12] Heath stood 5 feet, 3 inches.
He notably played in a jazz concert at theWhite House, when PresidentBill Clinton borrowed his saxophone for one number.[13]
He received aGrammy nomination for box-set liner notes ofThe Heavyweight Champion, John Coltrane, the Complete Atlantic Recordings (Rhino, 1995), and Grammy nominations forLittle Man Big Band (Verve, 1994) andLive at the Public Theatre with The Heath Brothers (Columbia, 1980).[13][15]
Heath was a recipient of the 2003NEA Jazz Masters Award.[7] In 2004, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Human Letters.[16]
^Porter, Lewis.John Coltrane: His Life and Music Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1999.ISBN9780472101610.
^Heath, Jimmy; McLaren, Joseph (2010).I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. pp. 98–101.ISBN978-1-4399-0198-4.
^Berman, Eleanor."The jazz of Queens encompasses music royalty"Archived January 2, 2012, at theWayback Machine,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."
^Heath, Jimmy; McLaren, Joseph (2010).I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. pp. 80–90.ISBN978-1-4399-0198-4.
^Heath, Jimmy; McLaren, Joseph (2010).I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. pp. 296–300.ISBN978-1-4399-0198-4.
