May 9, 2005—Saxophonist, composer, and educator Jimmy Heath will be in residency at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music Friday, May 13 through Saturday, May 14. During his time on campus, the National Endowment for the Arts American Jazz Master will conduct an improvisation workshop for students and perform with the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble in Finney Chapel on Saturday at 8 p.m., with guest vocalist Janice Reddick '04.

Long recognized as a brilliant instrumentalist, Heath is also a magnificent composer and arranger. He has performed with nearly all the jazz greats of the last 50 years, from Howard McGhee, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis to Wynton Marsalis. For the past three decades, Heath has performed regularly with his brothers, Percy and Albert, as the Heath Brothers, a band that often includes contributions from his son Mtume, a noted percussionist, composer, and rhythm-and-blues producer.

"We're thrilled to have a living legend like Jimmy Heath at Oberlin, to say the least," says Professor of Jazz Studies Wendell Logan, who will be conducting the OJE during their Saturday performance. "It's an amazing opportunity for the students to get a different perspective on the music - and a perspective from someone who is most definitely qualified to speak about it."

During his career, Heath has performed on more than 100 albums. He has written more than 125 compositions, many of which have become jazz standards and have been recorded by artists such as 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 also composed extended works, premiering his first symphonic work "Three Ears" in 1988 at Queens College (CUNY) with Maurice Peress conducting.

Heath retired from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in 1998, where he served as a Professor of Music for more than 11 years. Still, he maintains an extensive performance schedule and continues to conduct workshops and clinics throughout the United States, Europe, and Canada. He holds honorary degrees from Sojourner-Douglass College and the Juilliard School, and has a chair endowed in his name at Queens College. Currently, he is serving on the board of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.