Tootie Heath
Albert "Tootie" Heath (born May 31, 1935 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ) is an American jazz drummer .
Live and act
The younger brother of Percy and Jimmy Heath moved to New York City in 1957 and made his record debut with John Coltrane and Nina Simone . He was then (until 1960) in the group of JJ Johnson ; In 1960 he was the drummer in Art Farmer / Benny Golson - Jazztet , to be heard on the second album Big City Sounds . In 1961 he played with Cedar Walton and Reggie Workman , but also with Bobby Timmons and Julian Cannonball Adderley . In 1965 he moved to Stockholm. From there he played with George Russell as well as Kenny Drew and Dexter Gordon , but also gave concerts with Friedrich Gulda and Tete Montoliu . In 1968 he returned to the USA, where he first worked as a drummer in the Herbie Hancock sextet , with whom his 1969 album Kawaida was created; between 1970 and 1974 he worked for Yusef Lateef . In 1974 he recorded with Anthony Braxton and Kenny Drew in Copenhagen and stayed in Europe for a while. In 1975 he joined the group of his brothers, The Heath Brothers , but has also worked as a freelancer since 1978. He is now the head of The Whole Drum Truth , an ensemble of jazz drummers that includes Ben Riley , Ed Thigpen , Jackie Williams, Billy Hart , Charlie Persip , Leroy Williams and Louis Hayes . After Tom Lord, Heath participated in 268 sessions.
Heath also works as an educator, including at the Stanford Jazz Workshop . As a drummer, Heath has developed the discreet but dynamic style of Kenny Clarke .
Discographic notes
- Kwanza ( Muse Records , 1973), with Curtis Fuller , Jimmy Heath, Kenny Barron , Ted Dunbar , Percy Heath
- Tootie's Tempo ( Sunnyside , 2013) with Ethan Iverson , Ben Street
Web links
- Brotherly Jazz: The Heath Brothers DVD
- Tootie Heath at Allmusic (English)
- Tootie Heath at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Heath, Tootie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Heath, Albert |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz musician (drummer) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 31, 1935 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Philadelphia , Pennsylvania |