Jimmy Heath

Tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath, whose soulful timbre and discerning sense for poetic, robust bebop lines guided modern jazz forward into the new millennium, first gained notice as part of Dizzy Gillespie’s orchestra during the 1940s. At that time he was called “Little Bird” in tribute to his idol Charlie “Yardbird” Parker. Heath soon built esteem as both an inventive soloist and writer through associations with Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Milt Jackson. Peak recognition arrived in the late 1950s when he authored numerous pieces, among them “C.T.A.,” “Gingerbread Boy,” and “For Minors Only,” many of which entered the standard repertoire. His initial Riverside dates—The Thumper (1959), Triple Threat (1962), and On the Trail (1964)—embody hard bop at its finest, while numerous albums to which he contributed likewise achieved classic status. Recording for Strata East, Muse, and Columbia, he performed with siblings bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath under the Heath Brothers name and joined forward-looking players such as Charles Tolliver, Stanley Cowell, and Art Farmer. In addition to three Grammy nominations, one attached to the 1994 release Little Man, Big Band, Heath received designation as a 2003 NEA Jazz Master; he devoted extensive energy to education at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College and helped administer the Louis Armstrong Archives. Performance nevertheless remained central, and he stayed active into later decades, appearing with younger artists including Roy Hargrove on the 2012 live recording Togetherness: Live at the Blue Note, issued for his eighty-fifth birthday, and with Wynton Marsalis and Cecile McLorin Salvant on the 2020 album Love Letter.

Philadelphia-born in 1926, Heath first encountered jazz and big-band repertoire through his father, an auto mechanic who played clarinet part-time, and his mother, a vocalist in the church choir. Economic hardship during the Depression frequently left his father unemployed, prompting Heath and his siblings to reside with grandparents who operated a grocery store in Wilmington, North Carolina. While attending high school there, Jimmy took up alto saxophone in the concert and marching bands; older brother Percy played bass and younger brother Albert “Tootie” played drums, while sister Elizabeth played piano. The family returned to Philadelphia each summer, allowing Jimmy private lessons. After completing high school in 1943 he formed his own swing dance orchestra and also worked with the Nat Towles band. By 1947 he led a small group that included a young John Coltrane along with trumpeter Johnny Coles, tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, bassist Nelson Boyd, drummer Specs Wright, and other Philadelphia musicians. Around this period he absorbed bebop, drawing strong influence from altoist Charlie “Yardbird” Parker. In 1948 Heath joined trumpeter Howard McGhee; brother Percy soon followed, and the pair toured Paris, performing at the city’s inaugural jazz festival. During the McGhee tenure Heath acquired the nickname “Little Bird,” reflecting both his Parker devotion and slight build—he had been rejected for military service in World War II for falling below minimum weight. The next year he entered trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie’s orchestra, which included several additional Philadelphia-based musicians such as Coltrane.

Early in the 1950s Heath moved to tenor saxophone to distinguish himself from Parker and to obtain steadier employment. He subsequently joined Miles Davis’s group, appearing on the trumpeter’s second album, Young Man with a Horn (1952), and participated in important sessions with J.J. Johnson, Clifford Brown, and Kenny Dorham. Career momentum halted when Heath, who openly acknowledged his drug dependency, was arrested and convicted twice for heroin distribution. The first arrest occurred in 1954 and resulted in confinement at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky. After release he was rearrested in 1955 and given a six-year sentence; he served four years at Lewisburg Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. While incarcerated he continued composing and arranged for the prison big band, creating works such as “For Minors Only,” “C.T.A.,” “Picture of Heath,” and “For Miles and Miles,” most of which reached broader audiences via Chet Baker and Art Pepper’s 1956 album Playboys.

Upon release in 1959, now drug-free, Heath promptly resumed his professional trajectory. That year he issued his debut leader date, The Thumper, an all-star Riverside session featuring cornetist Nat Adderley, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Albert Heath. He also appeared on trumpeter Blue Mitchell’s Blue Soul and briefly replaced Coltrane in Miles Davis’s quintet. Further well-regarded recordings followed with Kenny Dorham, Sam Jones, Freddie Hubbard, and others. His second album, the large-ensemble Really Big! (1960), showcased cornetist Adderley, flugelhornist Clark Terry, altoist Cannonball Adderley, and pianists Cedar Walton and Tommy Flanagan. Output accelerated in the early 1960s with The Quota (1961), Triple Threat (1962), and On the Trail (1964), the last introducing the originals “Gingerbread Boy” and “Project S.” Additional dates were made with Milt Jackson, Mongo Santamaria, and others.

Heath resumed solo activity with 1972’s The Gap Sealer, a vigorous set on which he played alto and tenor saxophones plus flute. Pianists Kenny Barron and Stanley Cowell, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Albert Heath participated, and the date marked the first appearance of son percussionist James Mtume on a Heath recording. Several Muse albums followed, beginning with Love and Understanding (1973), each reflecting expanded stylistic range that incorporated funk, avant-garde, and spiritual jazz elements. During this era he formed the Heath Brothers with siblings Percy and Albert plus pianist Cowell; the group debuted with Marchin’ On (1975) on the Strata East label operated by Cowell and trumpeter Charles Tolliver. Greater exposure arrived after the ensemble signed with Columbia, resulting in Passin’ Thru (1978) and In Motion (1979).

Throughout the 1980s Heath broadened his work into pedagogy, joining the faculty of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, City University of New York. Over the ensuing two decades he balanced instruction and performance, helped establish the school’s jazz curriculum, and drew additional jazz figures to campus, among them Donald Byrd. He also served on the board overseeing the Louis Armstrong Archives and assisted restoration efforts for Armstrong’s Corona, Queens residence. Despite teaching commitments he maintained an active performance and recording schedule, issuing Peer Pressure (1987), the Grammy-nominated Little Man, Big Band (1992), and You’ve Changed (1994).

In 2006 Heath again highlighted his big band on Turn Up the Heath and later collaborated with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra on the commissioned piece Endless Search. For his eighty-fifth birthday in 2011 he presented two nights at New York’s Blue Note with his eighteen-piece orchestra; the resulting 2012 release Togetherness: Live at the Blue Note featured Roy Hargrove, Peter Washington, Lewis Nash, Steve Davis, and others. Heath died of natural causes on January 19, 2020, in Loganville, Georgia, at age ninety-three. The posthumous album Love Letter appeared that August, serving as a romantic valediction and including guest contributions from Wynton Marsalis, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and Gregory Porter.