Jimmy Heath: Holland, 2012

A mysterious CD arrived a couple of weeks ago from a reader. The album's title is The Voice of the Saxophone, featuring the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw of the Netherlands, conducted by Henk Meutgeert and featuring solos by tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath. That's all the information that came with the CD, and the sender said that's about all he knows about it. So I had to roll up my sleeves and look around, since the album isn't listed even in the most detailed jazz discographies.

From what I can tell, the live album was recorded on the afternoon of Sunday, April 1, 2012, at the Porgy en Bess Club in Terneuzen, the Netherlands. The 18-member big band performed eight songs, all of them Jimmy Heath originals: Houston St. Beat, Sleeves, Ellington's Strayhorn, Project “S," The Time and the Place, The Voice of the Saxophone, Gemini and Gingerbread Boy.

According to the late Hans Koert at his blog, Keep (It) Swinging, the band included John Marshall, Ruud Breuls (tp), Bert Boeren (tb), Jorg Kaaij and Joris Roelofs (as, fl), Sjoerd Dijkhuizen (ts), Juan Martinez (bs), Peter Beets (p), Martijn Van Iterson (g), Frans Van Geest (b). The remaining eight aren't listed.

The arranger's name isn't provided either, nor could I find it online. Se I'm assuming the chart were scored by Jimmy Heath. I'm basing this assumption on a passage in Hans Koert's post:

Jimmy Heath started his career in music on alto saxophone, which brought him his nick name “Little Bird," which he didn't like, but he became known as a tenor saxophonist and as an arranger and composers of great tunes like C.T.A. “I didn't bring that, this time—sorry for that," he told me during the break, “but I will play Gingerbread Boy as the final tune of the evening."

To read my two-part 2009 interview with Jimmy Heath, go here.

JazzWax tracks: The Voice of the Saxophone, featuring the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw and Jimmy Heath is nearly impossible to find. I couldn't locate it anywhere online. If you find a source, please share with me and I'll alert readers.

JazzWax tracks: Several days before this live album was recorded, the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw recorded with Jimmy Heath live at BIMhuis Amsterdam.

The personnel was Jelle Schouten, Ruud Breuls, Wim Both, Rini Swinkels and Jan van Duikeren (tp); Jan Oosting, Bert Boeren and Bert Pfeifer (tb); Martin van den Berg (bass tb); Jorg Kaaij and Joris Roelofs (as); Sjoerd Dijkhuizen (ts); Simon Rigter (ts); Juan Martinez (bs); Rob van Bavel (p); Martijn van Iterson (g); Frans van Geest (b); Marcel Serierse (d), Henk Meutgeert (conductor) and Jimmy Heath (solo ts,ss).

Here's Jimmy Heath's Ellington's Strayhorn at BIMhuis Amsterdam...



Here's Sleeves...