Albert "Tootie" Heath
SoulPatch Music Productions is proud to represent legendary drummer and educator Albert “Tootie” Heath!
Born on May 31st 1935 in Philadelphia, Albert “Tootie” Heath was raised in a musical household as the younger brother of saxophonist Jimmy Heath and bassist Percy Heath. In pursuit of a musical career as a drummer, he moved to New York in 1957 and in a few months made his recording debut with John Coltrane for the saxophonist’s first recording “Coltrane”. Mr. Heath recorded with him again in 1960 on the album “Lush Life”.
Tootie Heath’s career reads like a who’s who in jazz. He has recorded with Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Nina Simone, Bobby Timmons, Yusef Lateef, Herbie Hancock, Milt Jackson, Wes Montgomery, Billy Taylor, Mal Waldron, Cedar Walton, J.J. Johnson and countless others. In 1975 together with his brothers Jimmy and Percy, Tootie formed the Heath Brothers band. The band enjoyed international acclaim, toured extensively, and still performs with various bassists after Percy’s death in 2005.
Tootie Heath is available for:
- Performances with his trio, quartet, or local bands.
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Performances with his Whole Drum Truth band
bringing together the greatest veteran jazz drummers in an all-percussion quartet featuring: Tootie Heath, Billy Hart, Louis Hayes, Willie Jones III, Idris Muhammed, Ben Riley, Kenny Washington, Jackie Williams, and Leroy Williams. - Workshops, masterclasses and clinics.
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Presentation of Tootie’s Tempo: A Drum Story
A unique multimedia journey that follows the migrations of drums and rhythms from Nigerian talking drums to the innovations of jazz greats like Elvin Jones and Tony Williams. Designed for live presentation, Heath’s lecture includes commentary on each of the diverse drum phases he has selected, such as: Batá drums, New Orleans parade music, and early big band pioneers. Several of these units incorporate rare audio or video samples from the drummer’s own archive, as well as humorous and touching personal anecdotes from his experiences contributing to some of the most integral decades of jazz. Heath also accompanies the presentation with live demonstrations of various rhythms to reveal their timeless power in an intimate and personal setting. The presentation, lasting about an hour, is designed with some flexibility in mind, allowing Heath to tailor it to different audiences depending on their musical backgrounds, age, and interests. The presentation is perfect for students of all instruments, lovers of music, and anyone with an interest in history.