Artist Lineup Set for JIMMY HEATH AT 90 at The Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center announced today the roster of artists who will be participating in Jimmy Heath at 90, a concert honoring the 90th birthday of the legendary saxophonist, composer, educator, and bandleader. The celebration will take place on Sunday, October 30, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. in the Concert Hall. Tickets start at $20 and are currently on sale.

Jimmy Heath at 90 pays homage to the supreme artistry and lasting legacy of NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath. The musical evening brings together an impressive lineup of jazz greats who will praise the iconic musician through performance, including saxophonist Sharel Cassity, pianist Stanley Cowell, saxophonist Antonio Hart, Heath's brother and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath, bassist John Lee, guitarist Tony Purrone, and fellow NEA Jazz Master and 2013 Kennedy Center Honoree Herbie Hancock. The program will also feature the Jimmy Heath Band comprised of Roberta Gambarini on vocals; Frank Greene, Freddie Hendrix, Gregory Gisbert, and Michael Philip Mossman on trumpet; Steve Davis, Jason Jackson, John Mosca, and Douglas Purviance on trombone; Antonio Hart and Mark Gross on alto saxophone and flute; Bobby LaVell on tenor saxophone and flute; Mike Lee on tenor saxophone; Gary Smulyan on baritone saxophone; Jeb Patton on piano; David Wong on bass; and Evan Sherman on drums. Additionally, philosopher and social activist Dr. Cornel West and Heath's son, Mtume, will offer remarks.

Jimmy Heath's musical career spans a whopping eight decades and its highlights include collaborations with jazz superstars MiLes Davis, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Howard McGhee, and Wynton Marsalis, among many other luminaries of the genre. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, he recorded and toured with his brothers Percy and Tootie in the group famously known as the Heath Brothers. He has been featured in more than 100 record albums and composed over 125 works, including a piece for symphony orchestra and jazz ensemble which was commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center in 1994. His compositions have been performed and recorded by a myriad of renowned artists, including Art Farmer, Cannonball Adderley, Clark Terry, Chet Baker, MiLes Davis, James Moody, Milt Jackson, Ahmad Jamal, Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, J.J. Johnson, and Dexter Gordon.

Heath has received numerous accolades for his contributions to jazz, including the Juilliard President's Medal (2005); honorary doctorate degrees from The Juilliard School, Queens College, and Sojourner-Douglas College; NEA Jazz Master recognition (2003); the New York State Governor's Arts Award (2000); and three Grammy Award nominations. In addition to performing, he is deeply engaged as an educator, having taught at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, Jazzmobile, Housatonic College, City College of New York, and The New School for Social Research.

Currently, Heath maintains an extensive performance schedule and continues to conduct workshops and clinics throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Jimmy Heath at 90 will be held at 8 p.m. on Sunday, October 30, 2016 in the Concert Hall. Tickets start at $20 and are currently available for purchase in person at the Kennedy Center Box Office, by calling InstantCharge at (202) 467-4600, or through the Kennedy Center website at www.kennedy-center.org. For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

Kennedy Center Jazz, under the leadership of Artistic Director Jason Moran, presents legendary artists who have helped shape the art form, artists who are emerging on the jazz scene, and innovative multidisciplinary projects in hundreds of performances a year. The KC Jazz Club, launched in 2002 and dubbed "the future of the jazz nightclub" by JazzTimes, hosts many of these artists in an intimate setting; while the Crossroads Club, launched in 2012, is a nightclub dance venue. Annual Kennedy Center jazz events include the professional development residency program for young artists, BetTy Carter's Jazz Ahead; NPR's A Jazz Piano Christmas, the Kennedy Center holiday tradition shared by millions around the country via broadcast on NPR; and the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival, created in 1996 by the late Dr. Billy Taylor (Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz, 1994-2010). The Center's jazz concerts are frequently recorded for future broadcast on NPR.

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