Jimmy Heath Big Band 'Turn Up The Heath' on New Planet Arts CD

STREET DATE NOVEMBER 6, 2006

My first love has always been the big band, our symphony orchestra. “Really Big" was a ten piece band recorded for Riverside Records. It is considered a jazz classic. I finally did a complete big band recording in 1992 with help from my friend, Bill Cosby. It was titled Little Man Big Band on Verve, and was nominated for a Grammy. This is a follow up; there were so many orchestrations I wanted to document.

The aim of this recording is to cover a lot of the influences I have experienced. My mentor Dizzy always included the Afro-Cuban (Latin) element and I am following in his footsteps.

Having performed on more than 125 recordings, I always pay homage to people I love and respect in my titles. “Gemini" is for my daughter Roslyn, “Big P" for my brother Percy, “Basic Birks" for Dizzy, “Like A Son" for Antonio Hart and “Heritage Hum" for my people. “Sources Say" comes from my watching the news on TV and “One for Juan" from a commercial for Columbian coffee.

“No End" is very special to me since it was given to me by my friend one of the great romantic composers of the bebop era, Kenny Dorham. He never recorded it and the title says it all. Jimmy Dorsey who I admired, wrote “I'm Glad There is You" (which could apply to you who purchased this CD).

I met most of these talented musicians on this record while playing with the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All Star Band and others in different circumstances during my musical journey. My originals have been updated on the computer and then given the breath and pulse of life by these artists. To keep the swinging feeling happening I engaged the powerful rhythm section of Lewis Nash, Peter Washington and Jeb Patton.

The Jazz Masters Award in 2003 made it possible to begin this project. Although it has taken me a long time to finish, here it is. --Jimmy Heath

AVAILABLE FROM PLANET ARTS RECORDINGS

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