Jimmy Heath, RIP

Lots of news from the Jazz world, not all of it good. In case you haven’t heard, Jimmy Heath died this morning. He’s been a fixture in jazz since the early days of the bebop era and a major figure in the evolution and history of the music. I had the privilege of seeing him perform many times, back in the days of Jazz Interactions in New York. He was also at the premiere of the Chasing Trane documentary when I saw it in 2016 and I’ll never forget him standing up and singing the theme of Part 2: Resolution of “A Love Supreme.” He may have been diminutive in size, but he was a giant in stature. Who’s left?

You may have also seen that Jack Sheldon died a few weeks ago. He was a big personality, a funny guy, a good singer and all of that, but he was also a terrific and probably underrated trumpet player. Here, we know him as a jazz guy, but based on his obituaries, I guess he was best known for Schoolhouse Rock! and his stint on the Merv Griffin show, where he was the epitome of cool in an otherwise-less-than-hip environment.

Here’s a new boxed set that caught my eye: The Savoy 10-Inch LP Collection by Charlie Parker. It looks like the package includes the artwork from the original covers, as well as the familiar Savoy labels with the red logos. Very cool. As always, I am tempted to contact the record label, in this case Craft Records, for a review copy. The problem is, I get the records but I rarely actually sit down and do the reviews. I’m still sitting on a beautiful Coltrane boxed set. The Bird set is scheduled for a release date of February 28. Hmm, just in time for my birthday.

Speaking of Bird, you can now see his King Super 20 Alto sax at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC. This article has been buried in my queue since October and I had forgotten all about it. Too bad, I was in Fairfax, Va., last weekend and had a couple of hours to kill. If I had remembered, I would have made the trip to DC for Bird. Next time.