Albert “Tootie” Heath

Albert "Tootie" Heath (born May 31, 1935) is an American jazz hard bop drummer, the brother of tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath and the late double-bassist Percy Heath.

He first recorded in 1957 with John Coltrane. From 1958 to 1974 he worked with, among others, J. J. 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, he, Jimmy and Percy formed the Heath Brothers. He remained with the group until 1978, then left to freelance. He has recorded extensively throughout his career.

Among his many workshop and classroom teaching assignments, Tootie Heath is a regular instructor at the Stanford Jazz Workshop.

Tootie Heath is now the producer and leader of The Whole Drum Truth, a jazz drum ensemble featuring Ben Riley, Ed Thigpen, Jackie Williams, Billy Hart, Charlie Persip, Leroy Williams and Louis Hayes.

As leader

 * 1969: Kawaida - with Ed Blackwell, Herbie Hancock, Buster Williams
 * 1974: Kwanza (The First) (Muse Records) - with Percy Heath, Jimmy Heath, Kenny Barron, Ted Dunbar, Curtis Fuller
 * 1998: The Offering - solo

As sideman
With Walter Benton With John Coltrane With Art Farmer With Benny Golson With Dexter Gordon With Bennie Green and Gene Ammons With Herbie Hancock With Jimmy Heath With Milt Jackson '''With J. J. Johnson With Clifford Jordan With Yusef Lateef With Johnny Lytle With Ronnie Mathews With Charles McPherson With Wes Montgomery With Blue Mitchell With Sonny Red With George Russell With Nina Simone With Billy Taylor With Bobby Timmons With Mal Waldron With Cedar Walton With The Young Lions With Michel Sardaby
 * Out of This World (Jazzland, 1960)
 * Coltrane (1957)
 * Lush Life (1960)
 * Big City Sounds (Argo, 1960) with Benny Golson
 * Art (Argo, 1960)
 * The Jazztet and John Lewis (Argo, 1961) with Benny Golson
 * The Jazztet at Birdhouse (Argo, 1961) with Benny Golson
 * New York Jazz Sextet: Group Therapy (Scepter, 1966)
 * Take a Number from 1 to 10 (Argo, 1961)
 * The Tower of Power! (Prestige, 1969)
 * More Power! (Prestige, 1969)
 * The Swingin'est (1958)
 * The Prisoner (Blue Note, 1969)
 * The Thumper (Riverside, 1959)
 * Really Big! (Riverside, 1960)
 * The Quota (Riverside, 1961)
 * Triple Threat (Riverside, 1962)
 * Swamp Seed (Riverside, 1963)
 * On the Trail (Riverside, 1964)
 * Milt Jackson Quintet Live at the Village Gate (Riverside, 1963)
 * Much in Common with Ray Brown (Verve, 1964)
 * J.J. Inc. (Columbia, 1961)
 * Spellbound (Riverside, 1960)
 * Starting Time (Jazzland, 1961)
 * Yusef Lateef's Detroit (Atlantic, 1969)
 * Suite 16 (Atlantic, 1970)
 * The Gentle Giant (Atlantic, 1971)
 * Hush 'N' Thunder (Atlantic, 1972)
 * Part of the Search (Atlantic, 1973)
 * 10 Years Hence (Atlantic, 1974)
 * Blue Vibes (Jazzland, 1960)
 * Doin' the Thang! (Prestige, 1963)
 * Bebop Revisited! (Prestige, 1964)
 * The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (1960)
 * A Sure Thing (1962)
 * Mapenzi with Harold Land (Concord, 1977)
 * Breezing (Jazzland, 1960)
 * George Russell Sextet at Beethoven Hall (1965)
 * Little Girl Blue (1958)
 * Nina Simone and Her Friends (1959)
 * Billy Taylor with Four Flutes (Riverside, 1959)
 * Chun-King (Prestige, 1964)
 * Impressions (New Jazz, 1959)
 * Soul Cycle (Prestige, 1969)
 * The Young Lions (1960) Vee-Jay Records
 * Night Blossom (Diw Records, 1990)