Jimmy Owens

Jimmy Owens (born December 9, 1943) is an American jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger, lecturer, and educator. He has played with Lionel Hampton, Charles Mingus, Hank Crawford, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Herbie Mann, among many others. Since 1969, he has led his own group, Jimmy Owens Plus.

Biography Jimmy Owens was born in New York City, New York, United States. His encounter with music encompasses a vast range of intercontinental musical success including ballets, movie scores, serving as a band leader and even creating orchestral compositions. He has performed with jazz musicians such as Max Roach, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Kenny Barron, Count Basie, Benny Golson, Billy Taylor, Lionel Hampton, Hank Crawford, and Gerald Wilson among others. After Ars Nova ended, he was a member of the New York Jazz Sextet. Among the members of this group at various times were Sir Roland Hanna, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Benny Golson, Hubert Laws, and Tom McIntosh. In addition, he has led his own group, Jimmy Owens Plus, since the 1970s, touring and playing in festivals and concerts. His performances with his band have taken him to Asia, South and Central America, the Middle East and various parts of Europe. In 1969, he helped found Collective Black Artist, a non-profit jazz education and performing organization. In the 1970s, Owens did a great deal of travelling and began doing yearly European Tours in Spain, France, Italy, Denmark, England, the Netherlands, and Sweden. During this time, he was shown a great amount of appreciation in orchestral and symphonic music through his guest appearances with the Southern University Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Symphony of the New World, and the Hannover Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. One of his performance highlights of the 1970s was the tour he took in the U.S. called, Western States Arts Foundation Tour. After his first album, he released three more albums titled, Jimmy Owens, Young Man on the Move and Heading Home; all of which were released the 1970s. From 1977 to 1981, he was a member of the music panel for the New York State Council on the Arts, which funded New York State cultural organizations. Jimmy Owens (A&M/Horizon, 1976) Headin' Home (A&M/Horizon, 1978) Peaceful Walking (Jay-Oh Jazz, 2007) Monk Project (IPO, 2012)

As sideman With Bill Barron Jazz Caper (Muse, 1978 ) Variations in Blue (Muse, 1983) The Next Plateau (Muse, 1987 )

With Eric Kloss First Class Kloss! (Prestige, 1967) Life Force (Prestige, 1967) We're Goin' Up (Prestige, 1967)

With Yusef Lateef Yusef Lateef's Detroit (Atlantic, 1969) Part of the Search (Atlantic, 1973)

With Herbie Mann Our Mann Flute (Atlantic, 1966) Impressions of the Middle East (Atlantic, 1966) The Herbie Mann String Album (Atlantic, 1967)

With David "Fathead" Newman Bigger & Better (Atlantic, 1968) Concrete Jungle (Prestige, 1978)

With Archie Shepp The Way Ahead (Impulse!, 1968) For Losers (Impulse!, 1971) Kwanza (Impulse!, 1974)

With Gerald Wilson The Golden Sword (Pacific Jazz, 1966) New York, New Sound (Mack Avenue, 2003) In My Time (Mack Avenue, 2005) Monterey Moods (Mack Avenue Records, 2007) Detroit (Mack Avenue, 2009)

With Joe Zawinul The Rise and Fall of the Third Stream (Vortex, 1968) Zawinul (Atlantic, 1970)

With All Star group One More: Music of Thad Jones Vol 1 (IPO Recordings, 2005) One More: The Summary - Music of Thad Jones Vol 2 (IPO Recordings, 2006)

With others Curtis Amy, Mustang (Verve, 1967) Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong and His Friends (Flying Dutchman/Amsterdam, 1970) Gary Bartz, Libra (Milestone Records, 1967/68) Kenny Barron, Innocence (Wolf, 1978) Gary Bartz, Libra (Milestone, 1968) Willie Bobo, A New Dimension (Verve, 1968) Kenny Burrell, Blues - The Common Ground (Verve, 1968) Jaki Byard, On the Spot! (Prestige, 1967) Billy Cobham, Spectrum (Atlantic, 1973) Hank Crawford, Dig These Blues (Atlantic, 1966) Teddy Edwards, It's All Right! (Prestige, 1967) Duke Ellington & Teresa Brewer, It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing (Flying Dutchman, 1973) Booker Ervin, Heavy!!! (Prestige, 1968) Dizzy Gillespie, The Dizzy Gillespie Reunion Big Band (MPS, 1968) Billy Harper, Capra Black (Strata-East, 1973) Milt Jackson, Born Free (Limelight, 1966) The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra, Opening Night (Resonance, 1966) – earlier issue on AGP Howard Johnson, Warren Smith, Julius Watkins, Al Gibbons, Johnny Coles, Composers Workshop Ensemble (Strata-East, 1973) Clifford Jordan, Soul Fountain (Vortex, 1966 ) Hubert Laws, Laws' Cause (Atlantic, 1968) Junior Mance, I Believe to My Soul (Atlantic, 1968) Les McCann, Comment (Atlantic, 1970) Tom McIntosh, With Malice Towards None (IPO Recordings, 2004) Charles Mingus, Music Written for Monterey 1965 (Jazz Workshop, 1965) James Moody, Moody and the Brass Figures (Milestone, 1966) Oliver Nelson, Oliver Edward Nelson in London with Oily Rags (Flying Dutchman, 1974) Shirley Scott, Superstition (Cadet, 1973) Billy Taylor, The Jazzmobile Allstars (Taylor-Made, 1989) with Frank Wess, Victor Gaskin, Ted Dunbar and Bobby Thomas Buddy Terry, Electric Soul! (Prestige, 1967) Leon Thomas, Full Circle (Flying Dutchman, 1973) Bobby Timmons, Got to Get It! (Milestone, 1967) Charles Tolliver, Impact (Strata-East, 1975) Larry Willis, A New Kind of Soul (LLP, 1970)

Education Masters of Education (M.Ed.), University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (1975) Private composition studies with Henry Brant, New York, NY (1965–66) Private study on trumpet with Carmine Caruso (1961–63), Dr. Donald Byrd (1958–60) High School of Music and Art, New York, NY (1961)

Performance highlights Jimmy Owens Plus ... Fordham University, Bronx African and African-American History Project (2013) Jazz Foundation of America Loft Party (2009) The Monk Influence, Celebration of Thelonious Monk’s 90th Birthday, New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music (2007) Fordham University, Bronx African and African-American History Project, Bronx, NY (2005) Tour of Caribbean, Central and South America (1989) South American Tour (1983 and 1986) Jazz in Grande Motte, France with Jimmy Owens Plus..., Max Roach and Chico Freeman (1981) Tour of North Africa and the Middle East, U.S. State Department (1981) Senegal’s 20th Independence Anniversary Concert and African Tour (1980) Western States Arts Foundation Tour (1978 and 1979) Manhattan House of Detention Concert Series (1974) Yearly European Tours including Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, England (1972 to Present) Kongsberg Jazz Festival, Norway (1972)

Jimmy Owens

A Touch of Taylor, Salute to Billy Taylor, New York, NY (2010) Celebrating Billy Strayhorn, St. Peter's Church, New York, NY (2009) University of Pittsburgh Jazz Seminar, Pittsburgh, PA (2007, 2009) Celebrating Billie Holiday, St. Peter's Church, New York, NY (2008) Giants of Jazz, South Orange, NJ (2002–2009)

Honors and awards

A. B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy (2012) Y’All New York Salutes Jimmy Owens (2009) Benny Golson Jazz Master Award, Howard University (2008) Lifetime Achievement Award, New York Brass Conference (2007) Dr. Billy Taylor Humanitarian Award, Jazz Foundation of America (2002) Grant for Oral History Project, National Endowment for the Arts (1990) Manhattan Borough President's Award for Excellence in the Arts (1986) International Success Award, Marabu Club, Italy (1983) Composition Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts (1980) Survival of the Black Artist Award, Howard University, Washington, DC (1980) New Leaders for the ‘80s Award, Black Enterprise Magazine (1979) Presidential Citation, Clark College, Atlanta, GA (1972) America Achievement Award, Jazz at Home Club of America (1972) International Critics Poll for Talent Deserving Wider Recognition, Downbeat Magazine (1967) Winner of competition to join Newport Youth Band (1959)