Jimmy,
Percy, and
Tootie Heath teamed up in 1975 to form
the Heath Brothers. Up until then, bassist
Percy had been busy with
the Modern Jazz Quartet, but with the group in "retirement" (temporarily as it turned out), all three brothers were free to join forces. Originally a quartet with pianist
Stanley Cowell, but expanding after the addition of guitarist
Tony Purrone and
Jimmy's son
Mtume on percussion, the band recorded for Strata East (1975), four albums for Columbia, and two for Island.
Tootie Heath left the group early on and was replaced by
Akira Tana, although he came back for the final 1983 record. Although
the Heath Brothers' music was essentially hard bop, there were occasional departures into jazzy R&B on isolated selections. All of their albums are worth seeking out. ~ Scott Yanow