Jennifer Nesselroad KING of BOP makes debut appearance in Cap Jazz Series "I had met Jimmy Heath, who, besides being a wonderful saxophonist, understood a lot about musical construction. I joined his group in Philadelphia in 1948. We were very much alike in our feeling, phrasing and a whole lot of other ways." '"Trane was always high on Jimmy's playing and so was I. Plus, he was a very hip dude to be with, funny and clean and very intelligent. Jimmy is one of the thoroughbreds." Miles Davis F r o m the M a r s a l i s clan, to the Brubeck b r o o d , Jazz history boasts a number of families of prominent musicians. Standout saxophonist and composer J i m m y Heath hails from one of the most distinguished families in jazz, the Heaths o f Philadelphia via N o r t h C a r o l i n a . J i m m y , the middle brother o f the late bassist Percy H e a t h and drummer A l b e r t " T o o t i e " H e a t h , was the second of the illustrious Heath Brothers to receive an N E A Jazz M a s t e r Fellowship (Percy received the a w a r d in 2002). Starting on alto saxophone, J i m m y acquired the nickname " L i t t l e B i r d " due to the influence Charlie " Y a r d b i r d " Parker had on his style. But after switching to the tenor saxophone in the 1950s, Heath developed and mastered his o w n unique style. O n e of his first professional jobs came in 1945-46 in the M i d w e s t territory band led by N a t Towles, out o f O m a h a , N e b r a s k a . Returning to Philadelphia, he briefly led his o w n big band with a saxophone section that included John Coltrane and Benny G o l s o n , also products of the city's jazz scene. A m o n g Heath's formative bandstand associations was a stint in D i z z y Gillespie's storied bebop big band. Gillespie helped pioneer the bebop style, w h i c h developed in the 1940s and marked the advent of modern jazz. Typically, bebop was characterized by smaller combos - in contrast with the big band ensembles of swing, its stylistic predecessor. Heath was a featured soloist in Gillespie's genre-defying big band and attained widespread exposure. J i m m y has collaborated with nearly all the jazz greats of the last fifty years, from H o w a r d M c G h e e , John Coltrane, M i l t Jackson and G i l Evans to Wynton Marsalis. Jimmy Heath has received numerous awards through out his career including three G r a m m y nominations, the Jazz Pioneers A w a r d from B M 1 , T h e D i z z y Gillespie Achievement A w a r d , T h e Life Achievement A w a r d from Jazz Foundation of America and he was named 2003 A m e r i c a n Jazz Master by the N a t i o n a l Endowment for the Arts. Perhaps the best tribute of a l l , however, was from Dizzy Gillespie w h o said, " i f you k n o w J i m m y H e a t h , you k n o w B o p . " WHO: Jimmy Heath with the "A" Band and NiteCap. WHEN: April 1S@8pm WHERE: Capuano College Performing Arts Theatre TICKETS: $34/530 Capuano College Performing Arts Theatre Box Office at 604.990.7810 INFO: www.capcollege.bc.cd/theatre March | April