Drummer for a lot of jazz greats, Albert ‘Tootie’ Heath has died at age 88 : NPR

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Albert Heath has died. Like many jazz musicians of his time, he was higher identified by his nickname, Tootie. And Tootie Heath acquired round.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MY BABY JUST CARES FOR ME”)

NINA SIMONE: (Singing) My child simply cares for me.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

He performed drums with mainly all of the greats of the ’50s, ’60s and past. He is on early albums from Nina Simone and John Coltrane, and he made basic information with Herbie Hancock, Benny Golson, Wes Montgomery.

(SOUNDBITE OF WES MONTGOMERY’S “AIREGIN”)

KELLY: His older brothers, Percy Heath – who performed bass, and Jimmy Heath, who performed saxophone – they have been additionally jazz royalty. Often they carried out collectively because the Heath Brothers, and their music acquired round, too.

(SOUNDBITE OF HEATH BROTHERS’ “SMILIN’ BILLY SUITE (PART 2)”)

SHAPIRO: Tootie Heath was born in 1935 and grew up in Philadelphia amongst plenty of different main musicians within the making, not least of whom have been his brothers.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

ALBERT HEATH: It appeared like my home was the capital of jazz due to Jimmy and my brother Percy, who joined us later. He was…

SHAPIRO: Tootie spoke to NPR in 2015 about his lengthy profession taking part in many types of jazz. He mentioned, as a drummer, he needed to be versatile, do various things that bandleaders would possibly need and be OK with them.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

HEATH: My concept with music is that it solely lasts for – what? – a track. However then it is over. So when do you play it once more? Perhaps tomorrow, possibly not. You realize, if folks throw tomatoes at us, we do not play that anymore.

(SOUNDBITE OF ALBERT HEATH, BEN STREET AND ETHAN IVERSON’S “THE CHARLESTON”)

KELLY: Late in Heath’s profession, in his 70s and 80s, youthful musicians realized that this dwelling hyperlink to an earlier period of jazz was nonetheless round. They requested Tootie to play and document with him. He spoke extremely of youthful pianists like Emmet Cohen and Ethan Iverson, the latter of whom he made a number of information with.

SHAPIRO: In 2021, he joined his brothers in receiving the nation’s highest honor for jazz musicians, the NEA Jazz Masters Award. Heath advised NPR host Arun Rath that he hadn’t meant to make a profession out of music, however someday he was taking part in along with his teenage pals in a venue throughout the road from his home.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

HEATH: And it will need to have been terrible. And one man got here up and gave us 75 cents as a tip. And he was drunk, in fact, you understand? And he walked over – oh, you youngsters are nice. And he gave us 75 cents. I noticed then that is 1 / 4 a chunk. Hey, man. We will receives a commission for doing this.

ARUN RATH: Nicely, I am glad you guys acquired that 75 cents, although, ‘trigger you bought lots higher.

HEATH: Yeah. I have been being profitable at this ever since – 75, greeNBAck, greeNBAck and a half, 50 cents.

KELLY: He made sufficient for fairly some time. Albert “Tootie” Heath was 88 years previous.

(SOUNDBITE OF ALBERT HEATH, BEN STREET AND ETHAN IVERSON’S “SPEAK LOW”)

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