John Heard (bassist)

John William Heard (* 3. July 1938 in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania ) is an American bassist of the Modern Jazz and sculptor . "With his full drive and a big tone that he can explode at any point," he is one of the great companions on the double bass, according to Martin Kunzler .

Live and act

Heard first played the alto and baritone saxophone before switching to the double bass as an autodidact at the age of 14 . He played as a student in a band with Tommy Turrentine , Booker Ervin , Horace Parlan, and JC Moses, while also being promoted in the fine arts at his hometown Carnegie Museum of Art . After serving in the US Air Force in Germany, he studied in his hometown. After a stopover in Buffalo , he moved to California, where he initially worked with Hendricks, Lambert & Ross ; Then he worked as a house bassist in the Half Note Club in San Francisco , where he accompanied musicians such as Wes Montgomery and Al Jarreau . In the late 1960s he became a member of the bands of Sonny Rollins , Jean-Luc Ponty and Randy Weston . He then worked as bassist for Ahmad Jamal (1972 to 1978) and at the same time for Count Basie , whose orchestra he was a member from 1974 to 1976. For many years he continued to play with musicians as diverse as George Duke (1974), Louis Bellson (1977 to 1982) and from 1977 also with Oscar Peterson and the big band of Toshiko Akiyoshi . He has also worked with Cal Tjader , Joe Williams , Nancy Wilson , Bobby Hutcherson , Barney Kessel , Eddie Lockjaw Davis and George Cables . He has also worked on recordings by Charles Owens , Buddy Montgomery , Charlie Byrd , Johnny Griffin , Joe Henderson , Kenny Burrell , Tete Montoliu , Pharoah Sanders , Harold Land , Bill Perkins , Bud Shank and Cleanhead Vinson .

From 1988 Heard worked almost exclusively as a sculptor for several years, but returned to music. He's part of the Los Angeles jazz scene .

Discographic notes

• George Duke Feel (1974)
• Count Basie / Zoot Sims Duke Basie and Zoot (1975)
• Ahmad Jamal One (1978)
• The London Concert (1978, with Oscar Peterson and Louis Bellson)
• George Cables Phantom of the City (1985)
• John Heard & Co. The Jazz Composers's Song Book (2005)

Lexigraphic entries

• Leonard Feather , Ira Gitler : The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-19-532000-X .
• Martin Kunzler : Jazz Lexicon. Volume 1: A – L (= rororo-Sachbuch. Vol. 16512). 2nd Edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-499-16512-0 .

Web links

• Web presence with discography and overview of works as a visual artist
• Scott Yanow: John Heard at Allmusic (English)
• John Heard at Discogs (English)