John W. Heard

July 3, 1938 - December 8, 2021 John Heard, the renowned jazz bassist, and artist passed away peacefully on December 8, 2021, in Los Angeles, CA with his wife at his side. This mostly self-taught musician/artist lived his life in much the same manner that he played, with an uncompromising, improvisational style. He was born and raised in Pittsburgh, the seventh of 8 children to John and Clara Heard. His musical career spanned over fifty years; he created reputations in the bustling jazz scenes of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other cities domestically and abroad. Throughout his career, he worked with the likes of Count Basie, Ahmad Jamal, Oscar Peterson, Cal Tjader, BB King, and bandmates too numerous to name here. He performed at many venues ranging from large concert halls to small clubs such as the Half Note, the Both/And club in SF, and Carmelo's, Dante's, and Charlie O's in LA. When asked about the nature of his music, John concluded, "Jazz improvisation is a series of miraculous recoveries." After officially retiring from music, he continued to focus on his paintings, drawings, and sculpture, creating busts of Clifford Brown, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and others. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn; his daughter, Nicole; his two sisters, Maxine Edmunds and Betty Brewer; his three grandchildren, Solia, Miles, and Cole; and many relatives in Pittsburgh and beyond. He will be deeply missed.