Ted Heath

London Suite - Bond Street

The London Suite was written by Thomas 'Fats' Waller during his 1939 European tour. It is his musical interpretation of six London districts and the suite was arranged for and recorded by the Ted Heath band in 1947, then re-recorded in 1953/4. Bond Street is scored as a medium tempo swing chart that reflects the wealthy and sophisticated feel of the area at the time. Right from the intro one can almost imagine Bertie Wooster strolling down the street twirling his walking cane. There is a written solo for Trumpet and some great Trombone and Sax sectional work, plus both Altos double on Clarinet. Taken down from the 1953 recording this is not a hard chart to play, though the Trumpet (1-3) range is high and good dynamic discipline is required from the band.