Albert ‘Tootie’ Heath dead at 88: Legendary jazz drummer has passed away

Legendary jazz drummer Albert ‘Tootie’ Heath, who was self-taught, has died at the age of 88. Albert Heath, who recorded with his brothers Percy and Jimmy, collaborated with the likes of Nina Simone, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock. He also was part of  the Modern Jazz Quartet.

According to The Washington Post, “Known since boyhood as “Tootie”— a nickname from his love of tutti-frutti ice cream — Mr. Heath was renowned as a consummate jazz journeyman with roots in the postwar bebop sound. Over seven decades, he ranged from free-form jams to mainstream jazz repertories and explorations of African rhythms with contributions on more than 100 records.”

Albert ‘Tootie’ Heath’s full name was Albert William Heath and he was born in Philadelphia in  Pennsylvania, USA on May 31, 1935. His mother Arlethia worked as a hairdresser whilst his father, Percy Sr. was an auto mechanic. Albert began learning about music from his older brother by eight years, Jimmy, who was his first teacher and took lessons from Specs Wright, who was the drummer in his brother Jimmy’s band. 

Albert and his two brothers Jimmy and Percy created the Heath Brothers in 1975 and joining them on the piano initially was Stanley Cowell. Ben Ratliff of The New York Times reviewed the brothers’ performance with Jeb Patton on piano at the Village Vanguard in 2003 and said that “Albert cultivated a solo from the barest rustling, beginning with tambourine and bass drum alone; it represented the antithesis of most drummers’ showcases, never getting loud.”

In 1994, the Modern Jazz Quartet’s longtime drummer Connie Kay died, so Albert joined them and was part of the quartet until they broke up in 1997. Albert Heath had two sons, Jens Heath and Jonas Liedberg. Jens was from his marriage to Anita Petersson, the couple divorced in 1974 and Jonas was from a relationship with Margaretta Liedberg. 

Albert Heath is survived by his wife, Beverly (Collins) Johnson Heath, the couple wed in 1976. Albert Heath also had two stepdaughters, a stepson, a sister, Elizabeth Heath, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

Albert Heath’s brother Percy died in 2005 whilst his other brother Jimmy died in 2020. In an interview with JazzWax, Albert Heath said that when asked if reading music came easy to him that  “No, no, no. It took time. Nothing that’s good is ever  easy [laughs]. After graduating from high school in 1943, I put together a band in Philadelphia. We played locally and out of town once in a while. We played swing and dance music. Bebop was just beginning, and I didn't hear Charlie Parker and Dizzy until 1945.”

In 2020, Albert Heath was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts, this was an honour that his brothers had received at an earlier date.