(Reprinted from the August 2020 issue of Downbeat magazine)
Jimmy Heath’s final release, Love Letter (Verve Records), caps seven decades of the bop saxophonist’s sterling career. The album, completed just weeks before he passed away in January, represents an exciting first: Of Heath’s more than 20 albums as a leader, Love Letter is his only recording of all ballads. What a poignant farewell these ballads are.
Throughout the album’s eight down-tempos—a selective complement of lesser-known pieces and time-honored standards—Heath reveals a refined emotionality that the hubbub of bebop seldom allows for. Take his long, mournful tenor solo on “Don’t Explain,” one of the album’s two nods to Billie Holiday, or the disarming lilt of the soprano on “Inside Your Heart,” an excerpt from one of his orchestral compositions. Reflective moments like these define the album.
The success of these moments rests in no small measure on the subtle responsiveness of the rhythm section—pianist Kenny Barron, bassist David Wong, and drummer Lewis Nash, enhanced by vibes player Monte Croft and guitarist Russell Malone. Heath’s generous arrangements and balanced mixing underscore the value that he accorded these players, as on “Con Alma,” whose twisting melody finds a rhythmic center in Nash and Wong’s decisive groove, and Barron’s velvety setting for “La Mesha,” Heath’s wistful duet with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.
Besides Marsalis, Heath paired off with two other guest artists on the album. He joined vocalist Gregory Porter on a version of “Don’t Misunderstand” so crushing that future balladeers might pause before taking it on. And with vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, he tackled “Left Alone,” an aching melody that undergirds Billie Holiday’s despondent lyrics about isolation and loss. During the outro of this tune, Heath echoes Salvant’s phrases faithfully but drops out before the final line. The unvoiced riff rings all the louder for its absence.
Love Letter: Ballad from Upper Neighbor's Suite; Left Alone; Inside Your Heart; La Mesha; Don’t Misunderstand; Con Alma; Fashion or Passion; Don’t Explain. (44:20)
Personnel: Jimmy Heath, saxophone; Wynton Marsalis, trumpet; Gregory Porter, vocals; Cécile McLorin Salvant, vocals; Kenny Barron, piano; Russell Malone, guitar; Monte Croft, vibraphone; David Wong, bass, Lewis Nash, drums.