The life of drummer Billy Higgins (pictured left) will be celebrated at this year’s Healdsburg Jazz Festival In Sonoma County, Calif. Higgins, who died on May 3, was originally scheduled to perform at the festival with both his trio and sextet. The Sextet will still make its scheduled performance with Albert “Tootie” Heath on the drum throne. Craig Handy, Ray Drummond, and Don Moye will fill Higgins’ trio slot at the opening gala. The festival, now in its third year, will also include a film tribute to the late trumpeter Lester Bowie, plus music performed in his honor by Moye, Amina Claudine Myers, and Arthur Blythe. The festival runs May 30-June 3.
For more info, call 707-433-8509 or visit www.healdsburgjazzfestival.com
Originally Published