Queens Jazz Orchestra Ensemble to Honor NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath at Flushing Town Hall

Flushing Town Hall welcomes the Queens Jazz Orchestra Ensemble on stage Friday, June 18 at 7 p.m. ET for a live tribute to the late NEA Jazz Master Jimmy heath, continuing to present exceptional jazz in its historic location.

Flushing Town Hall will also welcome a small audience to its theater for the first time since the facility closed to the public in March 2020 and will observe Covid security measures which include mask requirements and distancing social. The concert will be broadcast simultaneously live to a virtual audience at home.

When NEA Jazz Master and former Music Director of Flushing Town Hall’s Queens Jazz Orchestra Jimmy heath died 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 was unable to perform together, but I am delighted to bring a smaller unit of ensemble members to Flushing Town Hall to celebrate Master Heath,” said his former mentee, Antonio Hart.

On June 18, this special concert conducted by Antonio Hart will feature the main rhythm section of the world’s largest Queens Jazz Orchestra, who writes and performs their own arrangements of songs composed by Jimmy heath.

“We are delighted to welcome Antonio Hart and selected members of the Queens Jazz Orchestra to our beautiful venue,” said Executive and Artistic Director Ellen Kodadek. “While we cannot bring our entire Queens Jazz Orchestra to Flushing Town Hall at this time due to Covid restrictions, we are delighted that this sextet of incredibly skilled and passionate musicians once again graces our stage. and wow our audience with live jazz! “

The Queens Jazz Orchestra Ensemble performing at Flushing Town Hall is made up of six extraordinary musicians who all had a personal connection to Master Heath and celebrate his legacy:

• Antonio Hart (conductor and saxophone)

• Freddie hendrix (Trumpet)

• Steve davis (Trombone)

• Jeb Patton (Piano)

• David Wong (Acoustic Bass)

• Vince Ector (Drums)

“The Queens Jazz Orchestra Ensemble contains top musicians! Each member of the ensemble is a bandleader themselves, with the added, explosive dynamite of Antonio Hart mixing it all up, ”said Flushing Town Hall jazz producer-in-residence, Clyde Bullard. “What you will hear is the Big Bang Theory embodied!”

Bullard will host a live question-and-answer session after the performance between the musicians and the virtual audience.

Born October 25, 1926 in Philadelphia, PA, Jimmy heath was the second of the illustrious Heath brothers to receive an NEA Jazz Master scholarship and the first Heath to choose music as a career path. During his rich career, Mr. Heath (who lived in Queens for many years) has performed on over 100 albums, including seven with The Heath Brothers and twelve as a frontman. Mr. Heath has also written over 125 compositions, many of which have become jazz standards. Mr. Heath had had a long-standing relationship with Flushing Town Hall, and a dozen years ago they together launched the great 17-piece Queens Jazz Orchestra, a project of the Hall of Fame. town of Flushing, which has since performed for thousands of jazz enthusiasts under his direction. . In June 2020, Flushing City Hall hosted its first virtual tribute to the late Master. Among the participants were Jimmy heathMona’s wife and jazz legends Albert “Tootie” Heath, Barry Harris, Jimmy owens, and Dorthaan Kirk; and members of the Queens Jazz Orchestra, including Antonio Hart, David Wang, Jeb Patton and Douglas purviance.

For the first time since March 2020, Flushing Town Hall welcomes an audience in person to its theater. In honor of the 42nd anniversary of Flushing Town Hall, 42 in-person tickets are available ($ 15 / $ 12 for members) and unlimited virtual tickets ($ 10 / $ 7 for members) for the public home. All tickets can be purchased online at flushingtownhall.org. Details on 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 $ 50 or more. With the loss of almost all earned income, Flushing City Hall is in urgent need of support and is currently raising funds as part of its Lemon-AID the Arts Campaign. Donations of any amount are appreciated to support artists and the nonprofit cultural organization as they continue to provide programming and entertainment in New York City and around 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 presented virtually.