Swamp Seed: Heath's Quiet Riverside Turn
A straight-ahead Riverside session where Jimmy Heath's tenor leads a deep bench of players through a delightful, underrated set.
Swamp Seed was recorded in 1963 for Riverside, a label that had built much of its reputation on hard-bop and modal sessions, and Jimmy Heath walked into the studio as a leader who had already spent years as a sideman and arranger. The record gathers a large and varied group of players, and that breadth shapes the sound: Herbie Hancock and Harold Mabern share piano duties across different tracks, Donald Byrd brings his trumpet, and the rhythm section of Percy Heath on bass and Albert "Tootie" Heath on drums gives the date a familiar, family-tight pulse. Connie Kay also appears on drums, and the added French horn and tuba voices from Jim Buffington, Don Butterfield, and Julius Watkins give some passages an unusual, slightly orchestral color for a record that is otherwise straight-ahead.
What you hear is Heath's tenor doing what it does best: swinging with a warm, unforced authority and letting the ensemble breathe around him. Scott Yanow of AllMusic wrote that this is a delightful if underrated set, and he noted that the music is straight-ahead yet contains some unpredictable moments, which is a fair description. The horns give the arrangements a bit more texture than a standard quintet date, but the writing never gets fussy. Listeners who want a clean, well-played hard-bop record with a few surprises will find plenty to enjoy.
As a place in Heath's catalog, Swamp Seed is a solid mid-period record rather than a landmark. It is not the place to start with him; earlier Riverside and Prestige work better introduces his playing and writing. It suits listeners who already know his style and want more of it, and it is a good example of how well he could handle a larger, mixed ensemble without losing his core sound.
Who's playing
Percy Heathdouble bass
Harold Mabernpiano
Herbie Hancockpiano
Jimmy Heathtenor saxophone
Donald Byrdtrumpet
Albert “Tootie” Heathdrums
Connie Kaydrums
Jim BuffingtonFrench horn
Don Butterfieldtuba
Julius WatkinsFrench horn
Where next?
More by Jimmy Heath
All 12 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
