On October 1, 2011 Albert "Tootie" Heath will be honored at the 14th annual Giants of Jazz concert in South Orange, New Jersey. Tootie is the first drummer to be honored by Giants of Jazz.
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About Albert "Tootie" Heath The jazz drummer is the brother of tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath and double-bassist Percy Heath.
Albert "Tootie" Heath's clean, self-assured interactions and impeccable swing feel made him a first-call drummer among straight-ahead and free-leaning bandleaders in the fifties and sixties.
His classic approach can be heard on more than 400 hard-bop and post-bop recordings.
Albert "Tootie" Heath first recorded in 1957 with John Coltrane. From 1958 to 1974 he worked with, among others, JJ Johnson, Wes Montgomery, Art Farmer and Benny Golson's Jazztet, Cedar Walton, Bobby Timmons, Kenny Drew, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Herbie Hancock, Nina Simone, and Yusef Lateef.
In 1975, Tootie, Jimmy and Percy formed the Heath Brothers. He remained with the group until 1978, then left to freelance.
Among his many workshop and classroom teaching assignments, Tootie Heath is a regular instructor at the Stanford Jazz Workshop.
About Giants of Jazz In 1998, the cream of the jazz world came to take part in Giants of Jazz, an amazing standing-room-only performance. Now in its thirteenth year, Giants of Jazz has become an annual music phenomenon - literally a one-night festival that has established South Orange as a major New Jersey venue for world-class jazz.
More info about the 2011 Jazz Master Honoree at sopacnow.org.