Queens Jazz Orchestra Ensemble To Pay Tribute To NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath At Flushing Town Hall

Flushing Town Hall welcomes the Queens Jazz Orchestra Ensemble to its stage on Friday, June 18 at 7PM ET for a live tribute to the late NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath, continuing to present outstanding jazz at its historic venue.

Flushing Town Hall will also welcome a small audience back into its theatre for the very first time since the facility closed to the public in March 2020 and will observe Covid safety measures that include mask requirements and social distancing. The concert will be simultaneously live streamed for a virtual audience at home.

When NEA Jazz Master and former Music Director of Flushing Town Hall's Queens Jazz Orchestra Jimmy Heath passed away on January 19, 2020 at the age of 93, he passed the baton to his protégé Antonio Hart.

"Due to Covid, the Queens Jazz Orchestra has not been able to perform together, but I am delighted to bring a smaller unit of members of the ensemble to Flushing Town Hall to celebrate Master Heath," says his former mentee, Antonio Hart.

On June 18, this special concert led by Antonio Hart will present the core rhythm section of the larger Queens Jazz Orchestra, who are writing and performing their own arrangements of songs composed by Jimmy Heath.

"We are excited to host Antonio Hart and select members of the Queens Jazz Orchestra at our beautiful venue," says Executive and Artistic Director Ellen Kodadek. "While we cannot bring our full Queens Jazz Orchestra to Flushing Town Hall at this time due to Covid restrictions, we are thrilled that this sextet of incredibly skilled and passionate musicians will again grace our stage and wow our audiences with live jazz!"

The Queens Jazz Orchestra Ensemble performing at Flushing Town Hall is comprised of six amazing musicians who all had a personal connection to Master Heath and are celebrating his legacy:

• Antonio Hart (Leader and Saxophone)

• Freddie Hendrix (Trumpet)

• Steve Davis (Trombone)

• Jeb Patton (Piano)

• David Wong (Acoustic Bass)

• Vince Ector (Drums)

i??"The Queens Jazz Orchestra Ensemble contains some cutting edge musicians! Each ensemble member is a band leader themselves, with the additional, explosive dynamite of Antonio Hart mixing it all together," says Flushing Town Hall's Jazz Producer in Residence, Clyde Bullard. "What you will be hearing is the Big Bang Theory incarnate!"

Bullard will moderate a live Q&A following the performance between the musicians and the virtual audience.

Born on October 25, 1926 in Philadelphia, PA, Jimmy Heath was the second of the illustrious Heath Brothers to receive an NEA Jazz Master Fellowship and was the first Heath to choose music as a career path. During his storied career, Mr. Heath (who lived in Queens for many years) has performed on more than 100 record albums, including seven with The Heath Brothers and twelve as a leader. Mr. Heath has also written more than 125 compositions, many of which have become jazz standards. Mr. Heath had etched a longstanding relationship with Flushing Town Hall, and a dozen years ago they together launched the 17-piece big band Queens Jazz Orchestra, a project of Flushing Town Hall, which had since performed for thousands of jazz lovers under his direction. In June 2020, Flushing Town Hall hosted its first virtual tribute to the late Master. Among those participating were Jimmy Heath's wife, Mona, and jazz legends Albert "Tootie" Heath, Barry Harris, Jimmy Owens, and Dorthaan Kirk; and members of Queens Jazz Orchestra, including Antonio Hart, David Wang, Jeb Patton and Douglas Purviance.

For the first time since March 2020, Flushing Town Hall is welcoming an in-person audience into its theatre. In honor of Flushing Town Hall's 42nd anniversary, 42 in-person tickets are available ($15/$12 members), and unlimited virtual tickets ($10/$7 members) for audiences at home. All tickets can be purchased online at flushingtownhall.org. Details about the logistics and safety requirements, including mask wearing and social distancing, to attend the event in-person are posted on the website.

Flushing Town Hall recently launched its new membership program, Flushing Town Hall's Circle of Friends, with memberships starting at gifts of $50 or more. With the loss of nearly all earned income, Flushing Town Hall is in dire need of support and is currently raising funds under its Lemon-AID the Arts Campaign. Donations in any amount are appreciated to support the artists and the nonprofit cultural organization as they continue to provide programming and entertainment across New York and the world.

While Flushing Town Hall will open to a limited audience of 42 for the Queens Jazz Orchestra Ensemble concert on June 18, the organization's facilities remain temporarily closed to the general public in accordance with COVID-19 safety regulations. All other programs are being presented virtually.