Daily Archives: June 2, 2021

Elijah “Eli” Harris

In most every major city, you can find musicians just about everywhere you look…some in clubs, restaurants, theaters, schools, music stores…and others, simply “busking” on the streets – performing just for tips from appreciative passersby. In Syracuse, New York, Elijah “Eli” Harris, Jr. was a busker for many, many years. He was a fixture in the community. Everybody knew and loved him. Music was his life. Sadly, Eli’s music career ended suddenly, when he tragically died in April 2020.

Jimmy Heath

At five foot three inches, Jimmy Heath was a towering figure in 20th century jazz. Nicknamed “Little Bird” for his early alto sax sound that owed a debt to Charlie Parker, he would go on to play tenor on more than a hundred landmark records. As a bandleader, he recruited a young John Coltrane. As a sideman and songwriter, he worked with Art Pepper, Gil Evans, Chet Baker and Miles Davis – leaving behind such timeless songs as “Body and Soul” and “Gingerbread Boy.” Jimmy Heath was small in stature, but he cast a long shadow when he left us in January 2020.