Percy Heath, (April 30, 1923 – April 28, 2005), was a jazz musician, most famous for his 40+ years as the double bass player for the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ). He is the brother of tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath and drummer Tootie Heath, with whom he formed the Heath Brothers in 1975. Heath also worked with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk. At the age of 81, he released his first album as bandleader through the Daddy Jazz label. The album, titled A Love Song, garnered rave reviews and served as a fitting coda for Heath's illustrious career. April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A jazz musician is someone who plays or sings jazz music. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... The Modern Jazz Quartet was established in 1952 by Milt Jackson (vibraphone), John Lewis (piano, musical director), Percy Heath (bass), and Kenny Clarke (drums). ... A saxophonist is a musician who plays the saxophone. ... James Edward Heath (born in 1926) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist, and the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Tootie Heath. ... A drummer at practice A drummer is a musician who plays the drums, particularly the drum kit, marching percussion, or hand drums. ... Albert (Tootie) Heath is an American jazz drummer, the brother of tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath and bassist Percy Heath. ... The Heath Brothers was a jazz group formed in 1975 by brothers Jimmy (tenor saxophone), Percy (bass), and Tootie Heath (drums) and pianist Stanley Cowell. ... Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was one of the most distinguished jazz musicians of the latter half of the 20th century. ... John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... Charlie Parker Charles Bird Parker, Jr. ... Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was a jazz pianist and composer. ...

Heath was born in Wilmington, North Carolina and spent his childhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father played the clarinet and his mother sang in the church choir. He started the violin at age 8 and also sang locally. He was drafted into the Army in 1944, becoming a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, but saw no combat. Wilmington is a city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... Two soprano clarinets: a Bâ™­ clarinet (left) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ... A choir or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen was the popular name of a group of African American pilots who flew with distinction during World War II as the 332d Fighter Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps. ...

Deciding after the war to go into music, he bought a stand-up bass and enrolled in the Granoff School of Music in Philadelphia. Soon he was playing in the city's jazz clubs with leading artists. After moving to New York in the late 1940s, Percy and Jimmy Heath found work with Dizzy Gillespie's groups. This article needs to be wikified. ... John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ...

It transpired that other members of the Gillespie big band, John Lewis, Kenny Clarke, Milt Jackson, and Ray Brown, decided to form a group that would eventually become known as the Modern Jazz Quartet. When Ray Brown left the group to join his wife Ella Fitzgerald's band, Percy Heath joined, and the group was officially begun in 1952. The MJQ played regularly until its disbanding in 1974. A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from 1935 until the late 1940s. ... John Aaron Lewis (3 May 1920 – 29 March 2001) was an American jazz pianist and composer best known as the musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet. ... Kenny Clarke (born January 9, 1914 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania-died January 26, 1985 in Paris, France) was a jazz drummer and an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming. ... Milton (Milt) Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999) was an American jazz vibraphonist and one of the most important figures in the hard bop style. ... Raymond Matthews (Ray) Brown (October 13, 1926 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania– July 2, 2002) was an American jazz bassist. ... The Modern Jazz Quartet was established in 1952 by Milt Jackson (vibraphone), John Lewis (piano, musical director), Percy Heath (bass), and Kenny Clarke (drums). ... Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996), also known as Lady Ella (the First Lady of Song), was considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th Century [1]. With a vocal range spanning three octaves, she was noted for her purity of tone, near faultless... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

In 1975, Percy Heath and his brothers formed the Heath Brothers with pianist Stanley Cowell. He would sometimes play the cello instead of the bass in these later performances. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Heath Brothers was a jazz group formed in 1975 by brothers Jimmy (tenor saxophone), Percy (bass), and Tootie Heath (drums) and pianist Stanley Cowell. ... Stanley Cowell (born 1941) is an American jazz pianist and founder of the Strata-East Records label. ... The violoncello, almost always abbreviated to cello, or cello (the c is pronounced as the ch in cheese), is a stringed instrument and a member of the violin family. ...

He died, after a second bout with cancer, two days short of his 82nd birthday, in Southampton, New York. Southampton is a town located in Suffolk County, New York. ...

External links

• National Endowment for the Arts - NEA Jazz Masters biography

• Brotherly Jazz:The Heath Brothers DVD Documentary