Heath Brothers

The Heath Brothers was a jazz group formed in 1975 by brothers Jimmy (tenor saxophone), Percy (bass), and Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums) and pianist Stanley Cowell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tony Purrone (guitar) and Jimmy's son Mtume (percussion) joined the group later. Tootie left in 1978 and was replaced by Akira Tana for a short period of time before returning in 1982. They also added other sidemen for some of their recording dates.

The group still exists with just two of the brothers, Jimmy and Tootie, and additional sidemen as needed. The DVD, "Brotherly Jazz: The Heath Brothers", recorded in 2004, shortly before Percy Heath's death, was one of the last times the brothers played together and chronicles the Heath Brothers' personal lives as well as socio-political issues many jazz musicians dealt with in the later 20th century, including jail, drugs, discrimination and segregation. They play predominantly hard bop.

Works

Heath Brothers recordings

* "Marchin' On" (1975)
* "Passin' Thru" (1978)
* "Live at the Public Theatre" (1979)
* "In Motion" (1979)
* "Expressions of Life" (1980)
* "Brotherly Love" (1981)
* "Brothers and Others" (1981)
* "As We Were Saying"

Heath Brothers DVDs

* [http://www.brotherlyjazz.com Brotherly Jazz:The Heath Brothers DVD Documentary] )

References

*cite web | title=Visions of Jazz: The First Century | work=Gary Giddins, 2003 | url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/0195132416/ | accessdate=23 Dec | access year=2006
*cite web | title=We Three Kings: The Heath Brothers | work=Laurence Donohue-Green | url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/artists/heathbrothers.htm | accessdate=Dec 23 | accessyear=2006
*cite web | title=A Night With the Heath Brothers: The Opening Act That Closed the Show | work=Lee Fury | url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=230 | accessdate=Dec 23 | accessyear =2006
*cite web | title=The Heath Brothers: Giants of Jazz | work=Rick Condit, March 2003 | url=http://www.iaje.org/article.asp?ArticleID=125 | accessdate=23 Dec | accessyear=2006

External links

* [http://www.jimmyheath.com/biography.html JimmyHeath.com biography of Jimmy Heath]
* [http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Albert_Heath.htm Drummers' World article on Albert Heath]
* [http://www.emusic.com/artist/10558/10558639.html eMusic download page for The Heath Brothers]
* [http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/artist/artist.cgi?ARTISTID=601551&type=#discography A complete Heath Brothers discography on musicmatch.com.]
* [http://www.cosmopolis.ch/f/musique/jazz/the_heath_brothers_f000039.htm The Heath Brothers biographies and CD review of Brotherly Love in French]