Jazz legend Jimmy Heath shares wisdom at music camp

KENT — James Edward Heath is known in the jazz and music worlds as both Jimmy Heath and Little Bird. He is one of our country’s giant jazz legends. He is a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master.Heath was in Kent on the campus of the Kent School on July 28 as a guest artist at the 16th annual Jazz Camp, sponsored by the Litchfield Jazz Festival (which will be held Aug. 5-7 at the Kent School, see story Page A7). The camp is in session for four weeks prior to the festival.This reporter was able to sit down with Heath for a one-on-one interview before the musician participated in a workshop with students. Though Heath is 84 years old, he is one of the most energetic individuals I have ever interviewed and his mind could match wits with anyone I’ve ever met. He radiates a very positive state of mind, leaving negatives behind.Meeting at Pops’ houseWhile Heath is one of the world’s most accomplished jazz saxophonists, a composer and an arranger, he prefers to refer to himself as an educator.He told the story of being tenured on the faculty of Queens College in the shortest time of anyone in the school’s history, two and a half years. With a twinkle in his eyes, he wondered aloud if doing a favor for the then-president of the school might have helped.To make his point, Heath pulled out a copy of his autobiography, “I Walked With Giants” (published in 2010) to show a photo taken in 1987. “I live in Corona, Queens [N.Y.],” Heath said, “around the corner from the home of Pops [the late Louis Armstrong]. I was teaching at Queens College which is nearby. The then-president of the college asked me if I could get a few jazz musicians together to meet at the Armstrong home when it was to be dedicated as a museum.“Of course I said I’d be happy to help. Well, I called a few of my friends and assembled a small group of jazz musicians. On Oct. 19, 1987, we assembled at the Armstrong home. Here in my book is a photo of our little group which included [pointing out each in the photo]: Leonard Goines, Howard Brofsky, Ted Curson, Red Rodney, Cecil Bridgewater, Lou Soloff, Art Farmer, myself, Jimmy Owens, Clark Terry, Jon Faddis, Wynton Marsalis, Marty Napoleon, Jonah Jones, Dexter Gordon, Illinois Jacquet, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, Jabbo Smith and Doc Cheatham, all gathered in Pops’ home with me.”Laughing out loud, Heath asked again how he achieved such fast-track tenure at the college.Music in the genesHeath comes from a musical family. His brother Percy Heath is a renowned bassist; his brother Albert Heath is a well-known drummer. Over a decades-long career, Heath has played with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Milt Jackson, Art Farmer,Nat Adderly, Herbie Mann and Nancy Wilson.When asked how he got the nickname Little Bird, Heath explained that in the 1940s he was greatly influenced by the late Charlie Parker, whose nickname was Bird; so other musicians started calling him Little Bird.Talking about his music, Heath said using harmonization can make a quintet sound like a big band. He mused that musicians need to have an effect on their audiences, “and to do that I am always thinking about Jesus. Music is science and that is cool but you also need soul to make good music. Science and soul make the top music you can get. If you just have one, but don’t have the other one, you don’t have it made yet.“Music is for people and the trick is to compromise. When you compromise, you can get something done.”When asked what he thought are the most important factors in creating good music, Heath said, “In my estimation, melody, rhythm and harmony are the three elements of good music. When you get those three together, you have something going.”Heath was asked about his work as a music arranger and responded, “I’m always upgrading my arrangements in my music. For example I might have a piece of my music written for a sextet and I will upgrade it for a big band. Duke Ellington always used to upgrade his work and I’ve heard many different arrangements of ‘Sophisticated Lady.’ Over the years Ellington made 10 or 15 different versions of ‘Mood Indigo’ and all of them are wonderful.”Another of Heath’s musings:“Remember, what was good, is good. If the music was good when it was written, it is still good today.”