Jimmy Heath's Quiet Gap-Sealing Session
Jimmy Heath's 1972 quartet session, a warm and unfussy document of straight-ahead playing.
The Gap Sealer opens in a loose, unhurried groove, with Jimmy Heath's woodwind sitting easily over Bob Cranshaw's walking bass and the brushed pulse of Albert "Tootie" Heath. It is a warm, conversational record, built on mid-tempo swing rather than fireworks, and the pleasure lies in hearing a seasoned player stay relaxed and melodic from start to finish. Kenny Barron's piano fills the spaces with clean, economical comping, and the whole band sounds like it is enjoying the music rather than trying to prove anything.
The session belongs to a period when Heath was moving between hard bop roots and a more accessible, soul-inflected sound. Recorded in 1972, the album was first issued on the small Cobblestone label and later reissued under the title Jimmy on Muse, which is a source of some confusion for collectors. The reissue title is the one most people will find today, so it is worth knowing both names when searching for it.
This is not the place to start with Heath. His earlier work with his brothers and his Riverside and Prestige recordings give a fuller picture of his range. But for a listener who already likes his playing, this is a pleasant, low-pressure session that shows him comfortable in a small group, doing what he does well without strain.
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More by Jimmy Heath
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The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
