Heath Brothers
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Heath Brothers is an American jazz group known for compositions such as "Smilin' Billy Suite Part II" (1975), released on Strata-East Records.
Formed in 1975 in Philadelphia by the brothers Jimmy (1926 – 2020), Percy (1923 – 2005), and Albert Heath (1935 – 2024); as well as Stanley Cowell, they added Tony Purrone and Jimmy's son James Mtume later. Albert left in 1978, and was replaced by Akira Tana for a short period before returning in 1982. They also added other sidemen for some of their recording dates.
The group issued four singles between 1978 and 1981, "Mellowdrama", "For the Public", "Use it (Don't abuse it)" and "Dreamin'". "Dreamin'", a track from the 1980 LP, "Expressions of Life", had the most airplay in the UK despite not reaching the UK charts.
The group with just two of the brothers, Jimmy and Tootie, and additional sidemen as needed, continued to perform and record after Percy's death. The DVD, Brotherly Jazz: The Heath Brothers, recorded in 2004, shortly before Percy Heath's death, was one of the last times the three brothers played together, and chronicled 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. 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.
Discography
- Marchin' On (1975) (Strata-East Records)
- Passin' Thru (1978) (Columbia Records)
- Live at the Public Theatre (1979) (Columbia Records)
- In Motion (1979) (Columbia Records)
- Expressions of Life (1980) (Columbia Records)
- Brotherly Love (1981) (Antilles Records)
- Brothers and Others (1981) (Antilles Records)
- As We Were Saying (1997) (Concord Records)
- Jazz Family (1998) (Concord Records)
- Pat Metheny & The Heath Brothers: The Move to the Groove Session (2000) (West Wind)
- Endurance (2009) (Jazz Legacy Productions)
Videography
- Brotherly Jazz (2006) (DanSun Productions)
