Queens Jazz Orchestra: The Jimmy Heath Centennial Concert
Nov 7, 2026
The Queens Jazz Orchestra presents a concert to remember and honor the late NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath, who was a member of "The Heath Brothers", one of America's most prominent jazz families from Philadelphia, which included brothers Percy Heath and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath.
The Queens Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Antonio Hart, will showcase the different worlds of music that Jimmy Heath performed and loved to hear. This concert is a beautiful tribute to the life, music, and memory of a man who championed jazz and dedicated his life to the music.
Antonio Hart, Leader of FTH’s Queens Jazz Orchestra
Antonio Hart, saxophonist, was born September 30, 1968 in Baltimore. He started playing the saxophone in elementary school and only became interested in jazz when he was in his late teens. Mr. Hart listened to a local jazz radio station and discovered saxophonists like Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Sonny Stitt. Before long, studying jazz had become his priority. After graduating from the Baltimore School of Arts, he migrated to Boston to attend the Berklee School of Music. Upon graduation, he made his way to New York, joining forces with friend and classmate trumpeter Roy Hargrove. While touring with Hargrove, Mr. Hart pursued a master’s degree at Queens College, where he studied under saxophonist Jimmy Heath and trumpeter Donald Byrd. In 1991, Mr. Hart recorded his own critically praised debut CD, For the First Time (1991), and in 1992 he recorded Here I Stand, for which Mr. Hart earned a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Solo. His third album, For Cannonball and Wood (1993), not only features recorded works from alto-saxophonist Julian Cannonball Adderley and trumpeter Woody Shaw, but also dedicates two original pieces to them. Besides his solo career, Mr. Hart is widely known for his contributions to recordings by Nat Adderley, Monty Alexander, Kathleen Battle, Terence Blanchard, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Green, Wallace Roney, McCoy Tyner, and Phil Woods. On January 17, 2003, Antonio Hart appeared in the Terrace Theater with Hilton Ruiz, as part of the Art Tatum Piano Panorama.
| Date | Performance Times | |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 2026 | 8:00 PM |
The Queens Jazz Orchestra presents a concert to remember and honor the late NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath, who was a member of "The Heath Brothers", one of America's most prominent jazz families from Philadelphia, which included brothers Percy Heath and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath.
The Queens Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Antonio Hart, will showcase the different worlds of music that Jimmy Heath performed and loved to hear. This concert is a beautiful tribute to the life, music, and memory of a man who championed jazz and dedicated his life to the music.
Antonio Hart, Leader of FTH’s Queens Jazz Orchestra
Antonio Hart, saxophonist, was born September 30, 1968 in Baltimore. He started playing the saxophone in elementary school and only became interested in jazz when he was in his late teens. Mr. Hart listened to a local jazz radio station and discovered saxophonists like Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Sonny Stitt. Before long, studying jazz had become his priority. After graduating from the Baltimore School of Arts, he migrated to Boston to attend the Berklee School of Music. Upon graduation, he made his way to New York, joining forces with friend and classmate trumpeter Roy Hargrove. While touring with Hargrove, Mr. Hart pursued a master’s degree at Queens College, where he studied under saxophonist Jimmy Heath and trumpeter Donald Byrd. In 1991, Mr. Hart recorded his own critically praised debut CD, For the First Time (1991), and in 1992 he recorded Here I Stand, for which Mr. Hart earned a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Solo. His third album, For Cannonball and Wood (1993), not only features recorded works from alto-saxophonist Julian Cannonball Adderley and trumpeter Woody Shaw, but also dedicates two original pieces to them. Besides his solo career, Mr. Hart is widely known for his contributions to recordings by Nat Adderley, Monty Alexander, Kathleen Battle, Terence Blanchard, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Green, Wallace Roney, McCoy Tyner, and Phil Woods. On January 17, 2003, Antonio Hart appeared in the Terrace Theater with Hilton Ruiz, as part of the Art Tatum Piano Panorama.
| Date | Performance Times | |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 2026 | 8:00 PM |
