Comprised of three brothers and other experienced musicians, The Heath Brothers jazz band was formed in 1975 and continued recording until 2009. Saxophonist, flutist, arranger and producer Jimmy Heath (born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 25, 1926) played with a wide range of artists, including Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, before forming The Heath Brothers in 1975 with his eldest brother, bassist Percy Heath (born April 30, 1926) and his youngest brother, drummer Albert ‘Tootie’ Heath (born May 31, 1935). Accompanied by pianist Stanley Cowell, they recorded their first album Marchin' On! (1975) for the Strata-East Records label co-founded by Cowell, before enlisting guitarist Tony Purrone and percussionist James Mtume for the following album, Passin' Thru (1978), released by Columbia Records. In 1979, the third album In Motion (1979)- enhanced by a brass section including trombonists Jon Faddis and Wayne André and trumpeter Lew Soloff - saw Albert Heath temporarily replaced by Keith Copeland, then by Akira Tana on Live at the Public Theatre (1980), Expressions of Life (1981), and Brotherly Love (1982). Back at the drums, Albert Heath took part in the following concerts and recordings, starting with the jam session organized with Pat Metheny's band and Dave Brubeck's quartet at Midem in Cannes on January 28, 1983. The musicians returned to their personal activities before reuniting for the sessions on the album As We Were Saying... (1997), followed by Jazz Family (1998). Percy Heath's death on April 28, 2005, at the age of 81 left his two brothers to continue as a duo on Endurance (2009), the band's last studio album. In 2015, Jimmy and Albert Heath reunited on singer Roberta Gambarini's album of the former's compositions, Connecting Spirits. Jimmy Heath's death on January 19, 2020, at the age of 93 was followed by Albert Heath's passing on April 3, 2024, at the age of 88, after the release of an unreleased live album from the early days, Paris 76 (2023).
