Albert Heath

Albert "Tootie" Heath (born May 31, 1935) is an American jazz hard bop drummer, the brother of tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath and the double-bassist Percy Heath.
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 has recorded extensively throughout his career.
Among his many workshop and classroom teaching assignments, Tootie Heath is a regular instructor at the Stanford Jazz Workshop.
Tootie Heath is now 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.

As leader

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

• The Tower of Power! (Prestige, 1969)
• More Power! (Prestige, 1969)
• The Apartment (SteepleChase, 1975)

With Bennie Green and Gene Ammons

• The Swingin'est (1958)

With Herbie Hancock

• The Prisoner (Blue Note, 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 Ronnie Mathews

• Doin' the Thang! (Prestige, 1963)

With Charles McPherson

• Bebop Revisited! (Prestige, 1964)

With Blue Mitchell

• A Sure Thing (1962)
• Mapenzi with Harold Land (Concord, 1977)

With Roscoe Mitchell

• Hey Donald (1995)

With Wes Montgomery

• The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (Riverside, 1960)

With Tete Montoliu

• Catalonian Fire (SteepleChase, 1974)
• Tete! (SteepleChase, 1975)
• Tête à Tete (SteepleChase, 1976)
• Tootie's Tempo (SteepleChase, 1976 [1979])

With Don Patterson

• These Are Soulful Days (Muse, 1973)

With Cecil Payne

• Zodiac (Strata-East, 1968 [1973])

With Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen

• Double Bass (SteepleChase, 1976) with Sam Jones

With Sonny Red

• Breezing (Jazzland, 1960)

With George Russell

• George Russell Sextet at Beethoven Hall (1965)

With Bud Shank

• That Old Feeling (Contemporary, 1986)

With Nina Simone

• Little Girl Blue (1958)
• Nina Simone and Her Friends (1959)

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 Michel Sardaby

• Night Blossom (Diw Records, 1990)

With Guido Manusardi

• Trio de Jazz (Electrecord – EDE 0476, 1968)

With Kenny Drew

• Dark Beauty (Steeplechase, 1974)

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)