James Edward Heath (born October 25, 1926 - died January 19, 2020), nicknamed Little Bird, is an American jazz tenor saxophonist, and the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Tootie Heath. He originally played alto saxophone, but after the influence of Charlie Parker on his work for Howard McGhee and Dizzy Gillespie in the late 1940s earned him the nickname Little Bird (Parker's nickname was Bird), he switched to tenor. He was out of music for several years in the 1950s