Heath, a native of Philadelphia, had been playing jazz since the 1940s, in the early days of bebop. He was mentored by Dizzy Gillespie, idolized Charlie Parker, whose nickname was “Bird,” and would become known as “Little Bird” for how well he emulated Parker’s fluid style. ADHeath overcame his battles with heroin addiction, which landed him in prison in the mid-1950s, and had a long and productive career. ADIn the 1970s, he helped found the Heath Brothers, which also featured brothers Percy Heath on bass and Albert “Tootie” Heath on drums. Percy Heath died in 2005.

Source: Washington Post January 20, 2020 18:11 UTC