John Heard

John William Heard (July 3, 1938 – December 10, 2021)

He also played saxophone in his early years. He began playing bass at the age of 14. His professional career began in a band that included sax player Booker Ervin, drummer J.C. Moses, pianist Horace Parlan and trumpet player Tommy Turrentine. While in high school, he attended special classes at the Carnegie Museum of Art.

In 1958, he joined the United States Air Force and was sent to Germany. Because of his art experience he was given a job of designing posters for events. He also did some art teaching, teaching the wives of officers. He left the Air Force in 1961 and enrolled at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. He returned to music and went to Buffalo and later to California.

On December 10, 2021, Heard died at the age of 83.

Art In the 1980s, he had converted a North Hollywood garage into a studio and was spending much time there painting. He said that he was hanging out with Santa Monica-based sculptor Jim Casey, who was teaching him the way he wanted to learn. 18 months prior to his being interviewed for the article he had taken up sculpting. His first one was a bust of Duke Ellington, then one of Billy Eckstine. At the time he was working on one of Louis Armstrong.

Examples of his work are held in the Oakland Museum of California. They include drawings of Bud Powell and Milt Jackson.

Musical career 1960s Playing double-bass, he has worked with Tommy Turrentine and Al Jarreau from the mid to late 1960s.

In 1981, he played bass on the Blue Balkan album by pianist Larry Vuckovich. Other musicians to play on the album were vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson and drummer Eddie More. Heard also played with Vuckovich's band on their first "Club Date" show on PBS, which was picked up by at least 120 cities in the U.S. In addition to Heard and Vuckovitch, the band included Tom Harrell on trumpet, and Sherman Ferguson on drums. As an unexpected bonus, the group was joined by saxophonist Charles McPherson for their last piece. The show's producer Paul Marshall spotted him in the audience, and asked him if he had his saxophone which he did and asked him to join them.

In 1983, he joined Tom Ranier and Sherman Ferguson to create the group Heard, Ranier, Ferguson, which released an eponymous album on the ITI Records label in 1983. The album art included a lithograph of Count Basie that was drawn by John Heard. An article in Billboard'''s October 1983 issue, indicated that he was going to be used as a graphic artist for the label. He was to be marketed as both an artist and a musician.

In an article in the Los Angeles Times dated 31 May 1987, he said that he had always wanted to paint, and planned to leave music. Before his retirement he had managed to record with musicians such as Spanish pianist Tete Montoliu, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Art Pepper, Clark Terry, Pharoah Sanders, Zoot Sims and Joe Williams.

1990s After taking time out from music to do painting, he returned to the scene and played with Benny Carter, Jamal and others.

Around the mid-2000s onwards, his group The John Heard Trio played at Charlie O's club in Van Nuys. In 2005, the group consisted of John Heard on bass, Tom Garvin on piano and Roy McCurdy on drums. At the club they played with Justo Almario and Rickey Woodard. Around 2010, the group consisted of Heard on bass, Andy Langham on piano and Roy McCurdy on drums and later around 2011, Lorca Hart instead of McCurdy was on drums. They would play Fridays and Saturdays there. Some of the musicians they would appear with were trumpet player Scotty Barnhart, trumpet player Ron King, saxophonists Chuck Manning, Don Menza, Lanny Morgan and guitarist Thom Rotella.

Discography LPs Heard Ranier Ferguson – Heard Ranier Ferguson – ITI Records – JL 003 – 1983 John Heard & Co. – The Jazz Composer's Songbook – Straight Ahead Records – SAR102 (180gram) 2005

CDs Evan Hartzell Trio - Songs About Love and Nature feat. John Heard and Laura Alvarez -LJD002(lejazzdiscos) 2009

Appearances (selective) The George Duke Trio – Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio – 1969 George Duke - The Inner Source - 1971 Moacir Santos – Maestro – 1972 Cal Tjader – Live at the Funky Quarters - 1972 Cal Tjader – Puttin' It Together - 1973 Cal Tjader and Charlie Byrd – Tambu - 1973 Cal Tjader – Last Bolero in Berkeley - 1973 George Duke - Faces in Reflection - 1974 George Duke - Feel - 1974 Moacir Santos – Saudade - 1974 Count Basie and Zoot Sims – Basie & Zoot – 1975 Joe Henderson – Canyon Lady – 1975 Ahmad Jamal – Recorded Live at Oil Can Harry's – 1976 Count Basie – Basie Jam 2 – 1976 Jean-Luc Ponty – Cantaloupe Island – 1976 Count Basie – Basie Jam 3 – 1976 Lew Tabackin and Warne Marsh - Tenor Gladness - 1976 Harry Edison – Edison's Lights (Pablo, 1976) Blue Mitchell – Stablemates – 1977 Count Basie – Kansas City 5 – 1977 Oscar Peterson and Count Basie – Satch and Josh...Again – 1977 Kenny Burrell – Stormy Monday – 1978 Oscar Peterson – The London Concert – 1978 Oscar Peterson and Count Basie – Yessir, That's My Baby – 1978 Ira Sullivan - Peace (Galaxy, 1978) Ira Sullivan - Multimedia (Galaxy, 1978 ) Toshiko Akiyoshi – Toshiko Plays Billy Strayhorn – 1978 Ella Fitzgerald – Dream Dancing – 1978 Oscar Peterson and Count Basie – Count Basie Meets Oscar Peterson – The Timekeepers – 1978 John Haley Sims and Harry Sweets Edison – Just Friends – 1978 B.B. King – Let the Good Times Roll – 1979 Ahmad Jamal – Intervals – 1980 George Cables – Morning Song (HighNote, 1980 [released 2008]) Kenny Burrell – Moon and Sand – 1980 Tete Montoliu - Catalonian Nights Vol. 1, Catalonian Nights Vol. 2, Catalonian Nights Vol. 3 - 1980 Oscar Peterson and Count Basie – Night Rider – 1980 Count Basie – Kansas City 7 – 1980 Gene Harris – Live at Otter Crest – 1981 Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson – I Want a Little Girl (Pablo, 1981) Gene Harris – Hot Lips – 1982 Count Basie – Mostly Blues...and Some Others – 1983 Pharoah Sanders – Heart is a Melody – 1983 Tete Montoliu - Carmina - 1984 George Cables – Phantom of the City – 1985 Bobby Hutcherson - Color Schemes - 1985 Buddy Montgomery – Ties of Love – 1986 George Cables – By George – 1987 Bud Shank – That Old Feeling (Contemporary, 1986) Bud Shank – Serious Swingers (Contemporary, 1987) with Bill Perkins Frank Morgan Bud Shank Quintet – Quiet Fire (Contemporary, 1987 ) Toshiko Akiyoshi – Lew Tabackin Big Band – Sumi-e – 1993 Hugh Masekela – Almost Like Being in Jazz'' – 2005