J.C. Heard (James Charles Heard) was an American swing, bop, and blues drummer. He played and made albums with Teddy Wilson, Benny Carter, Louis Jordan, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, and Charlier Parker. Shorty Baker, Doc Cheatham, Arnett Cobb, Bud Freeman, Johnny Hodges, Claude Hopkins, Howard McGhee, Al Sears, John Wright, Lester Young, Charles Mingus, Ray Brown, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan, and others.

He led his own bands, including a quintet that played at Cafe Society and a trio with Erroll Garner and Oscar Pettiford. He played as a featured member of Cab Calloway's band from 1942-1945. He toured woth JATP (Jazz At The Philharmonic - along with Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich). His legacy is honored with a yearly jazz drumming competition held as part of the Detroit Jazz Festival.


This is J.C. playing a drum solo at JATP in Tokyo in 1953 in a song called "UP".