Bassist Percy Heath died yesterday morning in Southampton, N.Y. from bone cancer at age 81. Heath was best known for his work with the Modern Jazz Quartet. He played with the quartet for its four-decade existence, along with leader and pianist John Lewis, vibraphonist Milt Jackson and drummer Kenny Clarke (later succeeded by Connie Kay). Heath also recorded with musicians including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk.
Heath was born on April 30, 1923 in Wilmington, N.C. and grew up in Philadelphia. His family was a musical one: his father was a clarinetist, his mother a singer in a church choir and his two younger brothers also went on to become professional musicians. After studying violin as a child, Heath took up bass as a student at the Granoff School of Music in Philadelphia in 1946 and was performing in local jazz clubs within a couple months.
In 1947, he and his brother Jimmy moved to New York and in 1950, both joined Dizzy Gillespie’s group. In 1952, Heath formed the Modern Jazz Quartet with three other Gillespie alumni, Lewis, Jackson and Clarke.
After the Modern Jazz Quartet broke up in 1974, Heath and brothers Jimmy and Albert started the Heath Brothers, a group that specialized in free jazz, a stark contrast to the traditional Modern Jazz Quartet. The Heath Brothers continued until the Modern Jazz Quartet reunited in the early ‘80s.
Heath is survived by his wife, June; his sons Percy III, Jason and Stuart; and his two brothers.
Katherine Silkaitis - jazztimes.com
Some listeners will be completely satisfied with transparent pop vocalists like Mariah Carey. Others can only be satisfied with densely difficult jazz vocalists, like Lisa Sokolov or Betty Carter. But, as in politics, there also exists an enormous moderate middle ground, a population which craves musical excellence but may not crave the experimental edge. Cheryl Bentyne’s new recording is perfect for the latter group.....
To celebrate those artists that can make their careers last more than a decade or two (don’t hold your breath, Britney Spears), Shout! Factory is launching a new series, “Career,” that will present anthologies that reflect their entire career. The first releases in the series, which comes out on April 26, will be of Dizzy Gillespie and Chet Baker, whose careers each spanned over 30 years. 
But now this: tapes bearing nearly a full hour of the Thelonious Monk quartet with John Coltrane, found at the Library of Congress in January. The library made the announcement this month. 
Why did the singer Basia spend 10 years away from the recording studio?
"While listening to it, I expected to hear a lot more lead bass work. What I wanted to hear was this bass virtuoso doing his thing front and center. I expected more bass jamming, I expected to hear some of the most unique bass playing ever recorded, well maybe not that extreme, but you get my meaning. If that is what you want to get from this album, you are sure to be disappointed. This is not to say this is a bad album, it is just not what I expected."
The portable digital device, given to Bush by his daughters Jenna and Barbara last July, contains much country music, but also songs by Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and the Knack.
New Orleans routinely makes the travel headlines twice every spring: once for the city's bacchanalian Mardi Gras celebration and once for its hard-boogie New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival at the cusp of summertime. During these peak times, the Crescent City plays host to throngs of enthusiastic travelers who hope to shake off winter, soak up the charms of the city and explore its legendary food and music scenes. [NYTimes...]
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History launched the fourth annual international Jazz Appreciation Month at a press ceremony on March 28 featuring Paquito D’Rivera, and the families of Mongo Santamaria, Chico O’Farrill, and Tito Puente. D’Rivera donated his first clarinet, his famous Panama hat, his white tuxedo, three music manuscripts, and a photograph taken with Dizzy Gillespie. Lupe O’Farrill donated the manuscripts to three of her late husband Chico O’Farrill’s most important compositions: The Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite, a milestone in Latin jazz, Aztec Suite, and Six Jazz Moods, along with the title page of Igor Stravinsky’s “Chant du Rossignol,” inscribed by Stravinsky to O’Farrill, and a photograph taken with Dizzy Gillespie. Nancy Anderson, daughter of Mongo Santamaria, donated his 1945 Cuban passport, a Grammy Award, a Gold Record, two pages of the score for his composition Afro Blue, his walking stick, two dashiki style shirts, several percussion instruments and one hundred-some photographs documenting his musical career. Tito Puente’s family donated a white sequined jacket, a passport, and several photographs, which will supplement earlier donations of Puente’s custom-made vibraphone and the timbales he played at the 1996 Olympics closing ceremonies.