Heath

The six string quartets of Béla Bartók mark a high point in the genre, and even though their myriad technical demands, rhythmic complexity, and bracing dissonances are no longer obstacles to frequent performance, they still present a major challenge for any string quartet. The Heath Quartet has been performing since 2002, and it has considerable experience with repertoire ranging from Beethoven to contemporary music, though this 2017 set on Harmonia Mundi shows that even after 15 years of music-making, these musicians can still be in awe of Bartók's achievement.

Chet Baker & Art Pepper - Picture Of Heath (1956) {Pacific Jazz 724349410626 rel 1998}
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© 1956, 1998 Pacific Jazz / Capitol Records | 7243 4 94106 2 6 | 20-bit SBM
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Trumpet / Saxophone

The seven sides that make up the all-star outing Picture of Heath (1961) might be familiar to fans of co-leads Chet Baker (trumpet) or Art Pepper (alto saxophone), as Playboys (1956). Perhaps owing to trademark-related issues with the men's magazine of the same name, Picture of Heath became the moniker placed on the 1961 Pacific Jazz vinyl re-release, as well as the 1989 compact disc. Regardless of the designation on the label, the contents gather selections recorded on October 31, 1956 – the third encounter between Baker and Pepper.

Jimmy Heath - Triple Threat (1962) {Riverside OJCCD-1909-2 rel 1998}
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© 1962, 1998 Riverside / Fantasy | OJCCD-1909-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

Jimmy Heath has long been at least a triple threat as a musician (tenor, flute and soprano), arranger and composer. On this 1998 CD reissue, Heath sticks to tenor, performing "Make Someone Happy" and "The More I See You' while joined by pianist Cedar Walton and his two brothers, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath. The other five numbers consist of four of his originals (best-known is "Gemini") plus a reworking of the ballad "Goodbye." For these selections, the quartet is augmented by young trumpeter Freddie Hubbard (who takes a few fiery solos) and Julius Watkins on French horn. The arrangements of Heath uplift the straightahead music and make each selection seem a bit special.

Jimmy Heath - The Quota (1961) {Riverside OJCCD-1871-2 rel 1995}
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© 1961, 1995 Riverside / Fantasy | OJCCD-1871-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

For The Quota, Jimmy Heath gathered his older brother, Percy, and his younger one, Tootie, into the Riverside studios along with three young lions of the New York jazz scene. In Julius Watkins, Heath selected a musician who had made himself a mainstay of the New York scene despite the fact that he played French horn, an instrument almost impossibly difficult for improvisation. In a short time in New York, Cedar Walton had become sought after as a versatile pianist who soloed with rare conviction and beauty.

Jimmy Heath - Really Big! (1960) {2007 Riverside} [Keepnews Collection Complete Series] (Item #9of27)
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© 1960, 2007 Concord / Riverside | RCD-30185
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

Remastered in 24-bit from the original master tapes. Part of our Keepnews Collection, which spotlights classic albums originally produced by the legendary Orrin Keepnews. Jimmy Heath has been at the forefront of modern jazz for almost 50 years. The middle brother of the illustrious Heaths, Jimmy (b. 1926) is a triple threat as saxophonist-composer-arranger. On this, his second Riverside date as a leader, Jimmy's ten-piece band was not, of course, really big—but his expert writing and arranging made the flexible ensemble sound bigger.

The featured composition is 'African Sunrise/Manhattan Rave, concerto for solo percussion & orchestra' and is a work for taped sounds of the streets of New York, various 'found' percussive instruments (barrels, cans, etc) as well as standard timpani and the vast array of orchestral percussion instruments.

Album released in 2002 in England and digitally remastered with a compilation of two LP's by British musician and director George Edward 'Ted Heath' (London, 1902-69). Heath led one of the most popular bands of the post-war years, recording over 100 albums and solding over 20 million records. While Heath died in 1969 the band returned to regroup with a majority of pupils of Heath in the early 70s, with the permission of the Heath family, and because of his reputation they continued to act until his final concert in December 2000. This CD just tried to recover the memory of this great band releasing a reissue of their albums 'Swing session' (1958) and 'Palladium revisited' (1963). This is the London Palladium, where Heath made over 110 concerts between 1947 and 1955.