Ted Heath

Darktown Strutters Ball

Darktown Strutters Ball is well known to Trad Jazz audiences, but it's a bit of a rarity to have a chart for Big Band. This version is a transcription of the Ken Moule chart which was written for the Ted Heath Orchestra as part of their Decca recording sessions. It is two minutes of pure joy, featuring some great tutti passages, and a dixieland chorus too. The Dixie trio is ad-lib, and is written for your 1st Trumpet, 1st Trombone and Clarinet. The Clarinet also features with a solo following the Dixie passage. The Sax section has a slightly unusual make-up, being written for Clarinet, Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone, though we have also included an extra Tenor part (a transposition of the Alto part) to give you more flexibility. A very rare chart from the Ted Heath book.