British bandleader
Ted Heath's huge legacy of accessible pop and jazz recordings has been trawled by numerous reissue labels and presented piecemeal in collections of both modest and mammoth proportions. While the chronological approach employed by Hep and Dutton Vocalion are useful for studying the evolution of this excellent band, modestly proportioned samplers produced by labels like ASV/Living Era, Jasmine, and Proper may suffice. For those who need to dig a little deeper with a larger number of tracks,
The Essential Collection released by West End Records in 2006 is an excellent option. Its 53 titles are well-chosen and represent
Heath's band at its best. One thing about
Heath: he was uncommonly well-tuned to the pulse of both jazz and pop culture during the 1940s and ‘50s, and his band book reflected this awareness most wonderfully. In addition to every mid-century dance band leader's prerequisite knowledge of Tin Pan Alley pop songs, jazz standards, show tunes, and movie themes,
Heath was well-versed in old-style traditional material by
Kid Ory,
Porter Steele,
Jelly Roll Morton, and
Shelton Brooks. His formative years as a sideman with
Bert Ambrose during the "swing era" and a keen awareness of where jazz was heading after 1945 enabled him to handle material by
Duke Ellington and
Billy Strayhorn;
Tadd Dameron and
Sy Oliver;
Sir Charles Thompson and
Illinois Jacquet;
Tiny Bradshaw and
Count Basie;
Fats Waller and
Woody Herman;
Benny Goodman and
Ziggy Elman;
Erskine Hawkins and
Julian Dash, and
Lionel Hampton and
Gerry Mulligan. The range of styles and breadth of influence speaks volumes about
Heath's voracious appetite for catchy melodies and well-crafted compositions. This anthology could easily be confused with
The Essential Ted Heath Collection, an 80-track set released by Castle Pulse in 2002. However you go about it, an evening with
Ted Heath & His Music will almost always be gratifying for those who are susceptible to this kind of entertainment.