WHEREAS, Mr. Jimmy Heath was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1926 and grew up as the middle brother of the legendary Heath Brothers; and
WHEREAS, In 1948, at the age of 21, he performed in the first International Jazz Festival in Paris; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Heath has performed with nearly all of the jazz greats of the last fifty years and has appeared on more than 100 recordings; and
WHEREAS, He has written upwards of 125 compositions which include many jazz standards recorded by artists such as Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles and many others; and
WHEREAS, In addition to having taught jazz studies at multiple colleges, Jimmy Heath has also received three Grammy Award Nominations; and
WHEREAS, His career has been highlighted by numerous awards and honors including the Duke Ellington Fellowship at Yale University, American Jazz Master for the National Endowment for the Arts, and Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Foundation of America; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Heath has been selected to receive the Philadelphia Jazz Achievement Award which celebrates the collaboration between The Mann Center and the School District of Philadelphia to recognize internationally acclaimed jazz artists and educators who attended Philadelphia public schools, and honors their creative achievements; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor and commend Jimmy Heath on his receipt of the Philadelphia Jazz Achievement Award; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Jimmy Heath as a symbol of this legislative body's gratitude for sharing his musical talents both locally and internationally.
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