Jimmy Owens (musician) - 1970s

1970s

Jimmy Owens toured France again in 1971 with the Young Giants of Jazz, performed with radio orchestras in Germany and Holland, and also played with Chuck Israels’ National Jazz ensemble. At the 1970 Newport Jazz festival, Owens was one of the youngest trumpet players present to participate in a tribute that was played in the honor Louis Armstrong. In that same year, he released his first album called, No Escaping It (1970), in which he seamlessly demonstrated his musical edge while maintaining a warm tone, along with decisive notation. In 1972, he was chosen to play a trumpet tribute for past trumpeters, such as Dizzie Gillespie and Roy Eldridge, at the inaugural Ellington Fellowship Concert that was held at Yale University. In the 1970s, Owens did a great deal of travelling and began doing yearly European Tours in Spain, France, Italy, Denmark, England, the Netherlands, and Sweden. During this time, he was shown a great amount of appreciation in orchestral and symphonic music through his guest appearances with the Southern University Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Symphony of the New World, and the Hannover Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. One of his performance highlights of the 1970s was the tour he took in the U.S. called, Western States Arts Foundation Tour. After his first album, he released three more albums titled, Jimmy Owens, Young Man on the Move and Headin’ Home; all of which were released the 1970s. In 1972, Owens began giving back to the community by becoming a member of the National Endowment for the Arts music panel up until 1976. This organization sought to aid in funding numerous organizations and individual artists. From 1977 to 1981, he was a member of the music panel for the New York State Council on the Arts which funded New York State cultural organizations.