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JazzStories: Percy Heath

Series: JazzStories
From: Murray Street Productions
Length: 00:15:31

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"There’s a certain thing on the bandstand that every now and then – not every night, not every composition – there comes a point when the collective sound of that moment, you reach that pinnacle, you kind of tingle….you can’t maintain it, they’re brief…they evoke laughter, they evoke all of the emotions…you well up tearfully.. that’s music man. Jazz is supposed to be like that." Read the full description.

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The late bassist Percy Heath was a member of The Modern Jazz Quartet for over forty years, one of the great innovating groups of its time. But his success did not happen overnight. Heath talks about his initial unease
around drummer Kenny Clarke, getting lessons from Charles Mingus and the close friendships that were essential to The MJQ sound.

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Piece Description

The late bassist Percy Heath was a member of The Modern Jazz Quartet for over forty years, one of the great innovating groups of its time. But his success did not happen overnight. Heath talks about his initial unease
around drummer Kenny Clarke, getting lessons from Charles Mingus and the close friendships that were essential to The MJQ sound.