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Artist
The Heath Brothers
12+ albums
United Statesjazzstrata-eastinstrumentalpiano
about
The Heath Brothers was an American jazz group formed in Philadelphia in 1975 by brothers Jimmy (tenor saxophone) (died 2020), Percy (bass) (died 2005), and Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums) (died 2024), plus pianist Stanley Cowell. 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 Tootie returned in 1982. They also added other sidemen for some of their recording dates. The group, with just two of the brothers, Jimmy and Tootie, and additional sidemen as needed, continued to perform and record after Percy died in 2005. The DVD, "Brotherly Jazz: The Heath Brothers", recorded in 2004, shortly before Percy's death, was one of the last times the three brothers played together, and chronicled the 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. The 2009 CD "Endurance" was the first without Percy, and features seven original numbers by Jimmy, including "From a Lonely Bass", composed in memory of his late brother. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
