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Albert Heath
Albert Heath
	Heath in 2014
Background information
Also known as	Tootie Heath
Born	May 31, 1935; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	April 3, 2024 (aged 88); Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Instrument	Drums
Years active	1957–2024
Formerly of	Heath Brothers
Spouse	Beverly Collins (m. 1974)
Relatives	Percy Heath (brother); Jimmy Heath (brother);

Albert "Tootie" Heath (May 31, 1935 – April 3, 2024) was an American jazz hard bop drummer, the brother of tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath and the double-bassist Percy Heath.^[1] 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,^[2] he first recorded in 1957 with John Coltrane.^[3] 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.^[2] In 1975, he, Jimmy and Percy formed the Heath Brothers.^[2] He remained with the group until 1978, then left to freelance.^[2] 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.^[4]

Discography

As leader

1969: Kawaida (O'Be, 1969) with Ed Blackwell, Herbie Hancock, Buster Williams, James Mtume
1974: Kwanza (The First) (Muse)
2009: Live at Smalls (Smalls Live)
2012: Krakkle (Geco)
2013: Tootie's Tempo (Sunnyside)
2014: Philadelphia Beat (Sunnyside)

As sideman

With Kenny Barron

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 [1977])

With George Cables

Skylark (SteepleChase, 1995)

With the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band

Latin Kaleidoscope (MPS, 1968)

With John Coltrane

Coltrane (Prestige, 1957)
Lush Life (Prestige, 1956–58 [1961])

With Ted Curson

Quicksand (Atlantic, 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 Art Farmer

Big City Sounds (Argo, 1960) – with Benny Golson
Art (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 (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 Dexter Gordon

Both Sides of Midnight (Black Lion, 1967 [1981])
Body and Soul (Black Lion, 1967 [1981])
Take the "A" Train (Black Lion, 1967 [1988])
The Tower of Power! (Prestige, 1969)
More Power! (Prestige, 1969)
The Apartment (SteepleChase, 1975)

With Bennie Green and Gene Ammons

The Swingin'est (Vee-Jay, 1958)

With Johnny Griffin

Bush Dance (Galaxy, 1978)

With Herbie Hancock

The Prisoner (Blue Note, 1969)
Fat Albert Rotunda (Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, 1969)

With Jimmy Heath

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 [1972])
Half Note (SteepleChase, 1974 [1985])

With Yusef Lateef

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

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

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 Wes Montgomery

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 [1979])
Catalonian Nights Vol. 1 (Steeplechase, 1980 [1981])
Catalonian Nights Vol. 2 (Steeplechase, 1980 [1985])
Catalonian Nights Vol. 3 (Steeplechase, 1980 [1989])

With Don Patterson

These Are Soulful Days (Muse, 1973)

With Cecil Payne

Zodiac (Strata-East, 1968 [1973])

With Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen

Double Bass (SteepleChase, 1976) with Sam Jones

With Sonny Red

Breezing (Jazzland, 1960)

With George Russell

George Russell Sextet at Beethoven Hall (MPS, 1965)

With Michel Sardaby

Night Blossom (DIW, 1990)

With Bud Shank

That Old Feeling (Contemporary, 1986)

With Nina Simone

Little Girl Blue (Bethlehem, 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

Impressions (New Jazz, 1959)

With Cedar Walton

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 (NEA) 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.^[5]