Percy Heath

Art by Tim Foley

Percy Heath

member of The Modern Jazz Quartet (1952–1974, 1981–1997)

Bass · born 30 April 1923 – died 28 April 2005

▸ Click for Richard Cook Bio

The eldest of the Heath brothers is a gentle spirit whose great qualities have been modestly cloaked by the circumstances of his career. He didn't take up the bass until 1946, following his air force service, and played with brother Jimmy alongside Howard McGhee; then he worked with Dizzy Gillespie's small group before enlisting with the Modern Jazz Quartet in 1952. This kept him busy for the next 22 years – although he also played on numerous album dates as a sideman, with everyone from Ornette Coleman to Paul Desmond – and during the MJQ's brief retirement he worked with Jimmy once again in The Heath Brothers' Band, a group which has been occasionally revived ever since. Back with the MJQ, he stayed until the last hurrah and is now the sole survivor of the original band. Latterly he has also taken up the cello. Heath's lovely sound and uncomplicated, gregarious swing have raised the collective spirits on scores of record dates. Although he had several features with the MJQ, these mattered less than the beautifully apposite playing he contributed to their every date. In his 80th year, he finally led an album of his own, A Long Song (2002), and it is a charming record.

Biography from Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia (2005).

If you'd like more information, check out The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2002) or The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz (2007), both of which are still in print.

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