Cape Fear Jazz Society - Cape Fear Jazz Society - Wilmington NC jazz musicians and events

 

On March 10, the Cape Fear Jazz Society in association with the UNCW Upperman African American Cultural Center will present two jazz greats with ties to Wilmington.  The Heath Brothers (Jimmy and Albert “Tootie”) will perform at Thalian Hall with the concert starting at 7:30 p.m. The opening act will be UNCW Distinguished Professor of Jazz and master percussionist, Joe Chambers and his All Stars featuring Benny Hill, Doug Irving, and Brad Merrit. 

 

event details

More...

The Heath Brothers are a dynasty of jazz and musical excellence.  Percy, a bassist and the eldest (who is deceased), began his career playing with Dizzy Gillespie’s band.  There he met and joined a quartet that became one of the most famous groups of the 1950s through the 1970s—The Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ).  Jimmy, a tenor saxophonist, has played with many jazz greats, is a composer and arranger and jazz educator having led the creation of the Jazz Program at Queens College in New York.  

More...

Tootie, the youngest, has also played with jazz greats, regularly serves as a faculty member of the Stanford Jazz Workshop and has acted in TV shows and feature films.  All three brothers have played on numerous recordings as members of groups such as MJQ or The Heath Brothers or as sidemen. Percy and Jimmy were born and spent their early lives in Wilmington.  They went to Williston High School and played in the school’s legendary marching band.  For this reason, there will be homecoming celebration events before the concert.  

More...

The Heath brothers will receive recognition from the office of the Mayor of Wilmington, the City’s Commission on African American History, the Williston High School Alumnae Association and the UNCW Upperman African American Cultural Center. The event will also include a screening of the film about the Heath Brothers, “Brotherly Jazz”, a book signing of Jimmy’s autobiography I Walked with Giants and a master class open to the public for area college and high school students.

 

 

 

More...