Ted Heath

During the 1950s Ted Heath stood among Great Britain’s most celebrated big-band leaders. His ensembles specialized in updated swing arrangements that stayed consistently danceable while occasionally spotlighting credible solos rooted in earlier traditions. He began on tenor horn and changed to trombone at fourteen. After working for a time as a street musician, Jack Hylton discovered him and added him to his own orchestra. Lengthy sideman tenures followed with several leading dance bands, among them those fronted by Bert Firman (1924-1925), Hylton once more (1925-1927), Ambrose (1928-1936), Sydney Lipton (1936-1939), and Geraldo (1939-1944).

He launched his own big band in 1944; through steady radio exposure, nationwide tours, and concerts he quickly became a familiar figure throughout England. Bebop innovations received scant notice, the repertoire remaining centered on swing-oriented charts, although several of his featured players—Ronnie Scott, Danny Moss, Don Rendell, and Kenny Baker—later earned distinction as jazz soloists. The orchestra maintained impeccable musicianship and used “Listen to the Music” as its theme; Heath himself also attracted attention in the United States, making repeated visits beginning in 1956. Starting in 1944 the band recorded extensively, chiefly for Decca and London, releasing ten albums in 1959 alone. After Ted Heath’s death in 1969 the ensemble continued to perform and record, issuing a live concert captured as late as 1977.