The Music Of Fats Waller
The Music Of Fats Waller
London Suite & Favorite Songs
Ted Heath and His Music
London Records LL 978
1952
Saxes - Leslie Gilbert, Roy Wilcox, Henry Mackenzie, Danny Moss, George Hunter
Trumpets - Bobby Pratt, Duncan Campell, Stan Reynolds, Ronnie Hughes
Trombones - Wally Smith, Don Lusher, Jimmy Coombes, Ric Kennedy
Rhythn - Ronnie Verrek (Drums), Frank Horrox (Piano), Johnny Hawksworth (Bass), Ivor Mairants (Guitar)
From the back cover: Ted Heath and His Music are accepted as being one of the greatest of all modern swing bands, not only in England, but in America as well. For a British band to invade the home of swing and to be accepted as one of the best is a very unusual triumph indeed. The Ted Heath story is all that a success story should be. He was born in Wandsworth, a not very exciting part of South-West London, full of large Victorian houses and little else, and here, at the age of twelve, he began to learn the trombone. At the end of the first World War he found himself, as many young men did, amongst the numerous ranks of the unemployed, so he took his trombone and busked in the streets. In 1920 he got a job with Jack Hylton's orchestra, moving from there to play with many of the best British bands including those of Ambrose and Sidney Lipton, until he joined Geraldo as first trombone in 1940. At this time he composed two songs which had quite a success, and the royalties from these gave him enough capital to be able to start his own band in 1945. This quickly became one of the most talked of bands in the country, selling a fabulous number of records, introducing singers like Dickie Valentine and Lita Roza, and starting the popular Sunday Swing Sessions which have drawn capacity crowds to the London Palladium for the past seven years.
A number of Ted Heath long-playing records have been issued, all of them amongst the best-selling record- ings of light music, and now once again we have another fine record to show off the bands immaculate and vigorous style that has won them their reputation.
A great band pays tribute to a great artist and composer Thomas Fats' Waller who, before he died in 1943, held a place in the record world comparable with that held by the Heath band now. Indeed, he still does, for tunes like Ain't misbehavin' and Honeysuckle rose are amongst the most popular ever written, and have been played and played without losing any of their freshness and charm.
The main consideration must be given, however, to a work which occupies one side of this record, the London Suite. This is a subdued, thoughtful work that makes a great comparison with Fats' usually more exuberant moods. It has an interesting history. Fats Waller last came to England in 1938 and while he was here he was asked by the Peter Maurice music-publishing firm to write a piano suite for them to publish in this country. As he had a full round of engagements and very little time to spare, this commission was almost not completed. On one of the last days in this country, however, he got down to the job, and assisted by some liquid refreshment, he got over a strong disinclination to write owing to a rather hectic night the day before, and sat down at the piano and wrote these six pieces one after the other during the morning. The next day he recorded them but they were not issued and the music was more or less forgotten.
They were remembered, however, by Ed Kirkeby, Fats' friend and manager, who, when he next came to this country, began to search for any test pressings of the records that might have survived. They were all found but one – Bond Street, and there the matter stood for some time. On his next visit to England Ed Kirkeby happened to visit a music publisher, to see a friend who told him that he had a record lying around which might interest him. It turned out to be the missing Bond Street. So at last the world was able to hear the London Suite complete and recorded by the maestro himself.
Fats Waller has interpreted each of the London scenes, Piccadilly, Chelsea, Soho, Bond Street, Limehouse and Whitechapel in his own particular style, which can only be a personal impression, and may not mean much to anyone else. After all musical impressionism is only matter of fancy and the dictates of the titles. He sees Piccadilly happy piece of music, Bond Street as something rather whimsical, and Whitechapel as a melancholy place. The results, whether accurate or not, are certainly delightful, and give us another glimpse of the more serious Thomas Waller, beneath the boisterous 'Fats'.
Now we can hear these pieces as orchestral arrangements with all the extra colour and movement that an instrumental version is able to give. On the whole, it must be true, that an instrumental group can give more visual colour than a piano by itself, and instrument whose tonal values are not very much under the control of the player. Though one would hesitate to declare any version better than the composer's, it seems safe to say that Ted Heath's rendering takes nothing away and is done with extremely good taste.
The other Fats Wallers that make up the other side of the recording have already been heard in every possible shape and form, particularly such swing classics as Ain't Misbehavin' and Honeysuckle Rose. This last number has probably been featured in more jam sessions than any other tune in existence, while others such as Blue Turning Grey Over You and I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling are not far behind in popularity. Again we have the composer's inimitable version to contend with, and nobody will deny that this is the best. But a treatment of any song by the Ted Heath Music is a matter of interest, particularly to the Ted Heath fan, and must count as being just as important as the melody. Versions of such best-sellers as Dragnet have shown that Ted Heath's is usually the best.
In a mixture of Britain's favourite band playing music by one of the world's best loved entertainers, there should be something to suit almost everybody, and a memorable recording. – PETER GAMMOND
Honeysuckle Rose
Ain't Misbehavin'
Blue, Turning Gray Over You
Jitterbug Waltz
I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling
Alligator Crawl
London Suite: Soho
London Suite: Limehouse
London Suite: Piccadilly
London Suite: Chelsea
London Suite: Bond Street
London Suite: Whitechapel
