Albert Heath


Albert "Tootie" Heath was an American jazz hard bop drummer, the brother of tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath 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, United States on May 31 1935, he first recorded in 1957 with John Coltrane. From 1958 to 1974, he worked with, among others, J. J. Johnson, Wes Montgomery, Art Farmer and Benny Golson's Jazztet, Cedar Walton, Bobby Timmons, Kenny Drew, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Herbie Hancock, Friedrich Gulda, Nina Simone, and Yusef Lateef. 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, Charlie Persip, Leroy Williams and Louis Hayes.
Albert Heath died of leukemia in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on April 3, 2024, at the age of 88.

Discography

As leader

  • 1969: Kawaida with Ed Blackwell, Herbie Hancock, Buster Williams, James Mtume
  • 1974: Kwanza
  • 2009: Live at Smalls
  • 2012: Krakkle
  • 2013: Tootie's Tempo
  • 2014: ''Philadelphia Beat''

    As sideman

With Kenny Barron
  • Peruvian Blue
With Walter Benton
With Anthony Braxton
With George Cables
  • Skylark
With the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
  • Latin Kaleidoscope
With John Coltrane
  • Coltrane
  • Lush Life
With Ted Curson
  • Quicksand
With Kenny Dorham
  • Trompeta Toccata
With Kenny Drew
With Art Farmer
  • Big City Sounds – with Benny Golson
  • Art
  • The Jazztet and John Lewis – with Benny Golson
  • The Jazztet at Birdhouse – with Benny Golson
  • New York Jazz Sextet: Group Therapy
  • Voices All – with Benny Golson
  • Moment to Moment – with Benny Golson
  • Central Avenue Reunion
With Benny Golson
  • Take a Number from 1 to 10
  • The Roland Kirk Quartet Meets the Benny Golson Orchestra
With Dexter Gordon
  • Both Sides of Midnight
  • Body and Soul
  • Take the "A" Train
  • The Tower of Power!
  • More Power!
  • The Apartment
With Bennie Green and Gene Ammons
  • The Swingin'est
With Johnny Griffin
  • Bush Dance
With Herbie Hancock
  • The Prisoner
  • Fat Albert Rotunda
With Jimmy Heath
  • The Thumper
  • Really Big!
  • The Quota
  • Triple Threat
  • Swamp Seed
  • On the Trail
  • The Gap Sealer
  • You've Changed
  • You or Me
With Milt Jackson
With J. J. Johnson
  • J. J. in Person!
  • Really Livin
  • J.J. Inc.
With Clifford Jordan
  • Spellbound
  • Starting Time
  • These are My Roots: Clifford Jordan Plays Leadbelly
  • In the World
  • Half Note
With Yusef Lateef
  • Yusef Lateef's Detroit
  • Suite 16
  • The Gentle Giant
  • Hush 'N' Thunder
  • Part of the Search
  • 10 Years Hence
With Johnny Lytle
  • Blue Vibes
With Roberto Magris
  • Morgan Rewind: A Tribute to Lee Morgan Vol. 1
  • One Night in with Hope and More Vol. 1
  • One Night in with Hope and More Vol. 2
With Guido Manusardi
  • Trio de Jazz
With Warne Marsh
  • Back Home
With Ronnie Mathews
  • Doin' the Thang!
With Charles McPherson
  • Bebop Revisited!
With Blue Mitchell
With Roscoe Mitchell
  • Hey Donald
  • In Walked Buckner
With Wes Montgomery
With Tete Montoliu
  • Piano for Nuria
  • Catalonian Fire
  • Tete!
  • Tête à Tete
  • Tootie's Tempo
  • Catalonian Nights Vol. 1
  • Catalonian Nights Vol. 2
  • Catalonian Nights Vol. 3
With Don Patterson
  • These Are Soulful Days
With Cecil Payne
  • Zodiac
With Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
With Sonny Red
  • Breezing
With George Russell
  • George Russell Sextet at Beethoven Hall
With Michel Sardaby
  • Night Blossom
With Bud Shank
With Nina Simone
  • Little Girl Blue
  • Nina Simone and Her Friends
With Les Spann
  • Gemini
With Billy Taylor
  • Billy Taylor with Four Flutes
With Bobby Timmons
  • Chun-King
With Mal Waldron
  • Impressions
With Cedar Walton
  • Soul Cycle
With The Young Lions
With Bill Harris'
  • ''Encompass Quartet''

    Awards and nominations

In October 2020, the National Endowment for the Arts announced Heath as one of four recipients of the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships, 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.