Albert Heath

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. 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.

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 With Walter Benton With Anthony Braxton With George Cables With the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band With John Coltrane With Ted Curson With Kenny Dorham With Kenny Drew With Art Farmer With Benny Golson With Dexter Gordon With Bennie Green and Gene Ammons With Johnny Griffin With Herbie Hancock With Jimmy Heath With Milt Jackson With J. J. Johnson With Clifford Jordan With Yusef Lateef With Johnny Lytle With Roberto Magris With Guido Manusardi With Warne Marsh With Ronnie Mathews With Charles McPherson With Blue Mitchell With Roscoe Mitchell With Wes Montgomery With Tete Montoliu With Don Patterson With Cecil Payne With Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen With Sonny Red With George Russell With Michel Sardaby With Bud Shank With Nina Simone With Les Spann With Billy Taylor With Bobby Timmons With Mal Waldron With Cedar Walton With The Young Lions With Bill Harris
 * Peruvian Blue (Muse, 1974)
 * Out of This World (Jazzland, 1960)
 * In the Tradition (SteepleChase, 1974)
 * In the Tradition Volume 2 (SteepleChase, 1974 [1977])
 * Skylark (SteepleChase, 1995)
 * Latin Kaleidoscope (MPS, 1968)
 * Coltrane (Prestige, 1957)
 * Lush Life (Prestige, 1956–58 [1961])
 * Quicksand (Atlantic, 1974)
 * Trompeta Toccata (Blue Note, 1964)
 * Dark Beauty (Steeplechase, 1974)
 * If You Could See Me Now (Steeplechase, 1974)
 * 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)
 * Take a Number from 1 to 10 (Argo, 1961)
 * The Roland Kirk Quartet Meets the Benny Golson Orchestra (Mercury, 1964)
 * 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)
 * The Swingin'est (Vee-Jay, 1958)
 * Bush Dance (Galaxy, 1978)
 * The Prisoner (Blue Note, 1969)
 * Fat Albert Rotunda (Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, 1969)
 * 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)
 * Milt Jackson Quintet Live at the Village Gate (Riverside, 1963)
 * Much in Common with Ray Brown (Verve, 1964)
 * J. J. in Person! (Columbia, 1958)
 * Really Livin' (Columbia, 1959)
 * J.J. Inc. (Columbia, 1961)
 * 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])
 * 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)
 * Blue Vibes (Jazzland, 1960)
 * 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)
 * Trio de Jazz (Electrecord – EDE 0476, 1968)
 * Back Home (Criss Cross, 1986)
 * Doin' the Thang! (Prestige, 1963)
 * Bebop Revisited! (Prestige, 1964)
 * A Sure Thing (Riverside, 1962)
 * Mapenzi with Harold Land (Concord, 1977)
 * Hey Donald (Delmark, 1995)
 * In Walked Buckner (Delmark, 1999)
 * The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (Riverside, 1960)
 * 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])
 * These Are Soulful Days (Muse, 1973)
 * Zodiac (Strata-East, 1968 [1973])
 * Double Bass (SteepleChase, 1976) with Sam Jones
 * Breezing (Jazzland, 1960)
 * George Russell Sextet at Beethoven Hall (MPS, 1965)
 * Night Blossom (DIW, 1990)
 * That Old Feeling (Contemporary, 1986)
 * Little Girl Blue (Bethlehem, 1958)
 * Nina Simone and Her Friends (Bethlehem, 1959)
 * Gemini (Jazzland, 1961)
 * Billy Taylor with Four Flutes (Riverside, 1959)
 * Chun-King (Prestige, 1964)
 * Impressions (New Jazz, 1959)
 * Soul Cycle (Prestige, 1969)
 * The Young Lions (Vee-Jay, 1960)
 * 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.