Albert "Tootie" Heath (May 31, 1935 – April 3, 2024) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

hard bop drummer, the brother of tenor saxophonist

Jimmy Heath James Edward Heath (October 25, 1926 – January 19, 2020), nicknamed Little Bird, was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. He was the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath. Biography Heath w ...

and the double-bassist Percy Heath. With Stanley Cowell, the Heaths formed the Heath Brothers jazz band in 1975.

Life and career

Born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States on May 31 1935, he first recorded in 1957 with

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...

. From 1958 to 1974, he worked with, among others, J. J. Johnson,

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for his unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and for his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a ...

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, doub ...

and Benny Golson's Jazztet,

Cedar Walton Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and c ...

, Bobby Timmons, Kenny Drew,

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American retired jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded over sixt ...

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was , so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" an ...

, Johnny Griffin,

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

, Friedrich Gulda, Nina Simone, and

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in the United States. Although Lateef's main i ...

. In 1975, he, Jimmy and Percy formed the Heath Brothers. He remained with the group until 1978, then left to freelance. He recorded extensively throughout his career. Among his many workshop and classroom teaching assignments, Heath was a regular instructor at the Stanford Jazz Workshop. Heath was later the producer and leader of The Whole Drum Truth, a jazz drum ensemble featuring Ben Riley, Ed Thigpen, Jackie Williams,

Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drumming, jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well as with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest (b ...

, Charlie Persip, Leroy Williams and Louis Hayes. Albert Heath died of leukemia in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

, on April 3, 2024, at the age of 88.

Discography

As leader

*1969: ''Kawaida'' (O'Be, 1969) with Ed Blackwell,

, Buster Williams, James Mtume *1974: '' Kwanza (The First)'' (

Muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

) *2009: ''Live at Smalls'' (Smalls Live) *2012: ''Krakkle'' (Geco) *2013: ''Tootie's Tempo'' (Sunnyside) *2014: ''Philadelphia Beat'' (Sunnyside)

As sideman

With

Kenny Barron Kenneth Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist and composer who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Early life ...

*'' Peruvian Blue'' (Muse, 1974) With Walter Benton *'' Out of This World'' ( Jazzland, 1960) With Anthony Braxton *'' In the Tradition'' ( SteepleChase, 1974) *'' In the Tradition Volume 2'' (SteepleChase, 1974 977 With

George Cables George Andrew Cables (born November 14, 1944) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Early life Cables was born in New York City, United States. He was initially taught piano by his mother. He then studied at the High School of Performing Art ...

*'' Skylark'' (SteepleChase, 1995) With the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band *'' Latin Kaleidoscope'' ( MPS, 1968) With

*'' Coltrane'' (

Prestige Prestige may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...

, 1957) *'' Lush Life'' (Prestige, 1956–58 961 With Ted Curson *''

Quicksand Quicksand (also known as sinking sand) is a colloid consisting of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it crea ...

'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, 1974) With Kenny Dorham *'' Trompeta Toccata'' ( Blue Note, 1964) With Kenny Drew *'' Dark Beauty'' (Steeplechase, 1974) *'' If You Could See Me Now'' (Steeplechase, 1974) With

*'' Big City Sounds'' (

Argo In Greek mythology, the ''Argo'' ( ; ) was the ship of Jason and the Argonauts. The ship was built with divine aid, and some ancient sources describe her as the first ship to sail the seas. The ''Argo'' carried the Argonauts on their quest fo ...

, 1960) – with Benny Golson *''

Art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

'' (Argo, 1960) *'' The Jazztet and John Lewis'' (Argo, 1961) – with Benny Golson *'' The Jazztet at Birdhouse'' (Argo, 1961) – with Benny Golson *'' New York Jazz Sextet: Group Therapy'' (Scepter, 1966) *'' Voices All'' (Eastworld, 1982) – with Benny Golson *''

Moment to Moment ''Moment to Moment'' is a 1966 American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Jean Seberg, Honor Blackman and Sean Garrison. Plot Kay Stanton lives on the French Riviera with her psychiatrist husband Neil Sta ...

'' ( Soul Note, 1983) – with Benny Golson *'' Central Avenue Reunion'' ( Contemporary, 1989) With Benny Golson *'' Take a Number from 1 to 10'' (Argo, 1961) *'' The Roland Kirk Quartet Meets the Benny Golson Orchestra'' (Mercury, 1964) With

*'' Both Sides of Midnight'' ( Black Lion, 1967 981 *'' Body and Soul'' (Black Lion, 1967 981 *'' Take the "A" Train'' (Black Lion, 1967

988 Year 988 ( CMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Fall – Emperor Basil II, supported by a contingent of 6,000 Varangians (the future Varangian Guard), organiz ...

*'' The Tower of Power!'' (Prestige, 1969) *'' More Power!'' (Prestige, 1969) *'' The Apartment'' (SteepleChase, 1975) With Bennie Green and

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and R ...

*'' The Swingin'est'' ( Vee-Jay, 1958) With Johnny Griffin *'' Bush Dance'' (

Galaxy A galaxy is a Physical system, system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar medium, interstellar gas, cosmic dust, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek ' (), literally 'milky', ...

, 1978) With

*''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a British television series created by Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan portrays Number Six (The Prisoner), Number Six, an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a The Village (The Prisoner), mysteri ...

'' ( Blue Note, 1969) *'' Fat Albert Rotunda'' ( Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, 1969) With

*'' The Thumper'' ( Riverside, 1959) *'' Really Big!'' (Riverside, 1960) *'' The Quota'' (Riverside, 1961) *'' Triple Threat'' (Riverside, 1962) *'' Swamp Seed'' (Riverside, 1963) *'' On the Trail'' (Riverside, 1964) *'' The Gap Sealer'' (Cobblestone, 1973) *'' You've Changed'' (SteepleChase, 1991) *'' You or Me'' (SteepleChase, 1995) With Milt Jackson *'' Milt Jackson Quintet Live at the Village Gate'' (Riverside, 1963) *'' Much in Common'' with Ray Brown ( Verve, 1964) With J. J. Johnson *'' J. J. in Person!'' ( Columbia, 1958) *'' Really Livin''' (Columbia, 1959) *'' J.J. Inc.'' (Columbia, 1961) With Clifford Jordan *'' Spellbound'' (Riverside, 1960) *'' Starting Time'' (Jazzland, 1961) *'' These are My Roots: Clifford Jordan Plays Leadbelly'' (Atlantic, 1965) *'' In the World'' ( Strata-East, 1969 972 *''

Half Note In music, a half note (American) or minim (British) is a Musical note, note played for half the duration of a whole note (or semibreve) and twice the duration of a quarter note (or crotchet). It was given its Latin name (''minima'', meaning "le ...

'' (SteepleChase, 1974 985 With

*'' Yusef Lateef's Detroit'' (Atlantic, 1969) *'' Suite 16'' (Atlantic, 1970) *'' The Gentle Giant'' (Atlantic, 1971) *'' Hush 'N' Thunder'' (Atlantic, 1972) *'' Part of the Search'' (Atlantic, 1973) *'' 10 Years Hence'' (Atlantic, 1974) With

Johnny Lytle John “Johnny” Dillard Lytle (October 13, 1932 in Springfield, Ohio – December 15, 1995 in Springfield) was an American jazz drummer and vibraphonist. Life and career Lytle grew up in Springfield, Ohio in a family of musicians, the son o ...

*'' Blue Vibes'' (Jazzland, 1960) With Roberto Magris * '' Morgan Rewind: A Tribute to Lee Morgan Vol. 1'' (JMood, 2012) * '' One Night in with Hope and More Vol. 1'' (JMood, 2012) * '' One Night in with Hope and More Vol. 2'' (JMood, 2013) With Guido Manusardi *''Trio de Jazz'' (Electrecord – EDE 0476, 1968) With

Warne Marsh Warne Marion Marsh (October 26, 1927 – December 18, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Los Angeles, his playing first came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of pianist Lennie Tristano and earned attention in the 1970s as ...

*'' Back Home'' ( Criss Cross, 1986) With Ronnie Mathews *'' Doin' the Thang!'' (Prestige, 1963) With Charles McPherson *'' Bebop Revisited!'' (Prestige, 1964) With Blue Mitchell *'' A Sure Thing'' (Riverside, 1962) *'' Mapenzi'' with Harold Land ( Concord, 1977) With Roscoe Mitchell *'' Hey Donald'' ( Delmark, 1995) *'' In Walked Buckner'' (Delmark, 1999) With

*'' The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery'' (Riverside, 1960) With Tete Montoliu *'' Piano for Nuria'' ( SABA, 1968) *'' Catalonian Fire'' (SteepleChase, 1974) *'' Tete!'' (SteepleChase, 1975) *'' Tête à Tete'' (SteepleChase, 1976) *'' Tootie's Tempo'' (SteepleChase, 1976 979 *'' Catalonian Nights Vol. 1'' (Steeplechase, 1980 981 *'' Catalonian Nights Vol. 2'' (Steeplechase, 1980 985 *'' Catalonian Nights Vol. 3'' (Steeplechase, 1980 989 With Don Patterson *'' These Are Soulful Days'' (

, 1973) With Cecil Payne *''

Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...

'' (Strata-East, 1968 973 With Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen *''

Double Bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

'' (SteepleChase, 1976) with Sam Jones With

Sonny Red Sylvester Kyner Jr. (December 17, 1932 – March 20, 1981), known as Sonny Red, was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist and composer associated with the hard bop idiom among other styles. Sonny Red played with Art Blakey, Curtis Fuller, ...

*'' Breezing'' (Jazzland, 1960) With George Russell *''

George Russell Sextet at Beethoven Hall ''George Russell Sextet at Beethoven Hall'' (also released as ''At Beethoven Hall - Complete Recordings'') is a 1965 live album by George Russell (composer), George Russell originally released in two volumes on the MPS Records, MPS label and fea ...

'' (MPS, 1965) With Michel Sardaby *''Night Blossom'' (DIW, 1990) With Bud Shank *'' That Old Feeling'' (Contemporary, 1986) With Nina Simone *'' Little Girl Blue'' (

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

, 1958) *'' Nina Simone and Her Friends'' (Bethlehem, 1959) With Les Spann *'' Gemini'' (Jazzland, 1961) With Billy Taylor *'' Billy Taylor with Four Flutes'' (Riverside, 1959) With Bobby Timmons *'' Chun-King'' (Prestige, 1964) With

Mal Waldron Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron (August 16, 1925 – December 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Wa ...

*'' Impressions'' (New Jazz, 1959) With

*'' Soul Cycle'' (Prestige, 1969) With The Young Lions *'' The Young Lions'' (Vee-Jay, 1960) With Bill Harris *'' Encompass Quartet'' (Daddy Jazz, 1997)

Awards and nominations

In October 2020, the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

(NEA) announced Heath as one of four recipients of the

NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), every year honors up to seven jazz musicians with Jazz Master Awards. The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowships are the self-proclaimed highest honors that the United States bestows upo ...

, celebrated in an online concert and show on 22 April 2021. Awarded in recognition of lifetime achievement, the honor is bestowed on individuals who have made significant contributions to the art form. The other 2021 recipients were Terri Lyne Carrington, Phil Schaap, and Henry Threadgill.

References

External links

"Albert 'Tootie' Heath"
biography and management, Soul Patch Music.
''Brotherly Jazz''
The Heath Brothers DVD Documentary.
Tootie Heath's MySpace page
* Ben Ratliff
"Music in Review; Heath Brothers"
''The New York Times'', April 4, 2003.
"Interview with Albert 'Tootie' Heath"
''DTM''.
"Albert 'Tootie' Heath, Drummer Extraordinaire, Turns The Tables"
interview on ''All Things Considered'', NPR, March 14, 2015.
Albert Heath
at Tower Records. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Albert 1935 births 2024 deaths Hard bop drummers Post-bop drummers American jazz drummers African-American drummers Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania Muse Records artists 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Modern Jazz Quartet members Heath Brothers members The Jazztet members Sunnyside Records artists 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians Spiritual jazz musicians Deaths from leukemia in New Mexico 21st-century American drummers 21st-century American male musicians Jazz musicians from Philadelphia Drummers from Philadelphia NEA Jazz Masters