[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 122 (Wednesday, September 12, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1491-E1492]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING NEA JAZZ MASTER JIMMY HEATH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 12, 2012

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, legendary jazz artist Jimmy Heath will be 
honored this year by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, CBCF, 
at the Jazz Issue Forum and Concert that will take place during the 
42nd Annual Legislative Conference, ALC. Mr. Heath will also perform at 
the concert, which will take place on Thursday, September 20, 2012, at 
the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, in Washington, DC. Mr. 
Heath will receive the 2012 CBCF ALC Jazz Legacy Award for his six 
decades of contributions to jazz and world culture.
  The oldest living member of the Philadelphia-bred Heath Brothers jazz 
family (bassist Percy and drummer Albert); Jimmy Heath rose to 
prominence during the forties, as a member of the Howard McGhee Big 
Band. In 1948 at the age of 21, he performed in the First International 
Jazz Festival in Paris with McGhee,

[[Page E1492]]

sharing the stage with Coleman Hawkins, Slam Stewart, and Erroll 
Garner. One of the earliest of Mr. Heath's own big bands (1947-48) in 
Philadelphia included John Coltrane, Benny Golson, Specs Wright, Cal 
Massey, Johnny Coles, Ray Bryant, and Nelson Boyd. He also played with 
and composed for Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham, Milt 
Jackson, and Art Blakey. During his career, Mr. Heath has performed on 
more than 100 record albums, including 7 with The Heath Brothers and 12 
as a leader. He has also written more than 125 compositions, many of 
which have become jazz standards, including C.T.A., and Gingerbread 
Boy. He has minted over 20 critically acclaimed recordings, including 
Really Big!, Love and Understanding, New Picture, Little Man, Big Band, 
and Endurance.
  Mr. Heath first worked as an educator with Jazzmobile, New York 
City's premier not-for-profit jazz program. In 1987, he was appointed 
Professor of Music at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens 
College, City University of New York. Professor Heath created the Jazz 
Program at Queens College, where he taught and mentored a generation of 
musicians, before retiring in 2004. He also taught jazz at Housatonic 
College and The New School for Social Research. In October 1997, two of 
Mr. Heath's former students, trumpeters Darren Barrett and Diego 
Urcola, placed first and second in the Thelonious Monk International 
Jazz Competition.
  Mr. Heath is among the most honored of our nation's musicians. In 
2003, he was presented with the prestigious National Endowment for the 
Arts, NEA, Jazz Master Award. He is the recipient of three honorary 
doctorates, including one from Julliard. He is the first jazz musician 
to be so honored by Julliard and has also received The Julliard Service 
to the Arts Centennial Award. He has received 3 Grammy Nominations, 
Howard University's Benny Golson Award and The Thelonious Monk 
Founder's Award among many other honors.
  In 2010, he co-wrote I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy 
Heath, with Joseph McLaren (Temple University Press). Mr. Heath is 
still actively creative as a tenor and soprano saxophonist, composer 
and arranger.
  Mr. Speaker, Jimmy Heath is a living jazz treasure and I urge all 
members to join me in commending him for his magnificent contribution 
to American and World culture.

                          ____________________