Tootie Heath-Ethan Iverson-Ben Street Trio at Philadelphia Art Alliance

Ars Nova Workshop is thrilled to welcome back Philadelphia legend Albert “Tootie” Heath along with Ethan Iverson and Ben Street in what is sure to be a very memorable evening.

Tootie, of course, is the youngest member of one of the first families of jazz, the Heath Brothers. Along with bassist Percy and saxophonist Jimmy, the Philadelphia-raised drummer became a first-call player while still a teenager, backing up visiting New York artists like Lester Young and Thelonious Monk. In the mid-sixties, Tootie began the first of many extended sojourns in Europe: when living in Copenhagen was the first-call drummer for any serious visiting Americans like Dexter Gordon and Jackie McLean. He was also a crucial member of one of Herbie Hancock’s first touring bands before joining one of Yusef Lateef’s most important groups. An endlessly open musician, his playing is featured on a wide range of projects, from those of Lester Young and Ben Webster to the abstractions of Anthony Braxton and Roscoe Mitchell. His first album Kawaida is the only studio meeting between Don Cherry and Herbie Hancock. Throughout his professional career of over fifty years, Heath has remained a crucial link to the art of be-bop drumming....

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Ars Nova Workshop is thrilled to welcome back Philadelphia legend Albert “Tootie” Heath along with Ethan Iverson and Ben Street in what is sure to be a very memorable evening.

Tootie, of course, is the youngest member of one of the first families of jazz, the Heath Brothers. Along with bassist Percy and saxophonist Jimmy, the Philadelphia-raised drummer became a first-call player while still a teenager, backing up visiting New York artists like Lester Young and Thelonious Monk. In the mid-sixties, Tootie began the first of many extended sojourns in Europe: when living in Copenhagen was the first-call drummer for any serious visiting Americans like Dexter Gordon and Jackie McLean. He was also a crucial member of one of Herbie Hancock’s first touring bands before joining one of Yusef Lateef’s most important groups. An endlessly open musician, his playing is featured on a wide range of projects, from those of Lester Young and Ben Webster to the abstractions of Anthony Braxton and Roscoe Mitchell. His first album Kawaida is the only studio meeting between Don Cherry and Herbie Hancock. Throughout his professional career of over fifty years, Heath has remained a crucial link to the art of be-bop drumming.

Ethan Iverson and Ben Street are two musicians steeped in tradition thanks to their rigorous study of and participation with members of the jazz pantheon. Iverson is best known as pianist and contributing composer with the Bad Plus. He has also led a number of his own ensembles and has been an important member of ensembles with Billy Hart and Tim Berne. Ben Street has become one of the most in demand bassists in jazz and has been a member of ensembles led by Daniló Perez, Sam Rivers and Kurt Rosenwinkel.

The trio of Heath, Iverson and Street has been together for nearly five years. The group has convened for a recent residency at the famed Village Vanguard in New York City, adding more new repertoire to their book. Their most recent recording, Tootie’s Tempo, was released on Sunnyside Records in August 2013.

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