“Improvisation is democracy at its best. Everybody has a right to speak their mind musically.”

That was Jimmy Heath on WNYC’s Soundcheck this past Tuesday, interviewed by Jeff Spurgeon. At the end of the interview, Spurgeon asked him about legacy: “What’s your?” he inquired.

“I just want to be remembered as a composer and some of my compositions lasting,” Heath revealed. “Some of them have become jazz standards, as they call them, and that’s good for me.”

There is much more; you can listen to and download the full 20 minute podcast here.

And don’t forget the Jimmy Heath tribute at the 92nd Street Y on July 21: Picture of Heath: Celebrating Living Legend Jimmy Heath. That tribute concert will feature Heath and many others, part of the Jazz in July Concert Series beginning on July 20.

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