Ted Heath At Carnegie Hall

AllMusic Review by Bruce Eder  [-]

Ted Heath and his swing band toured the U.S. in 1956, and one of the places that they played was Carnegie Hall, where this 12-track LP was recorded, in exceptionally good sound. They were more dance band-oriented than most of what was happening in jazz at the time in America, but that didn't mean they didn't make room for some improvisation, especially in this venue. The recorded evidence includes "Memories of You" with its beautiful two-horn featured spot, the band's drummer and bassist taking the spotlight on "R.J. Boogie," and tenor saxman Kenny Graham's arrangement of "Listen to My Music." There's nothing earth-shattering here, and it's possible that some of weariness on the part of the band was showing, but the ensemble playing is impressive, and it is rewarding to hear the work of Johnny Hawksworth (bass) and Ronnie Verrell (drums), tenor saxman Red Price, trumpeter Eddie Blair, and trombonist Don Lusher in the spotlight -- the swing music and trad jazz that came out of England in the '50s mostly got overlooked in America, and this release, like the tour that brought it about, serves as a reminder that some of it, and the musicians who played it, was well-worth hearing.

Ted Heath At Carnegie Hall 00:00 A1 Listen To My Music (Heath) 00:32 A2 Kings Cross Climax (Graham) 02:47 A3 Memories Of You (Razaf,Blake) 05:57 A4 R.J. Boogie (Hawkesworth,Verrell) 09:32 A5 Perdido (Tizol) 12:15 A6 Autumn In New York (Duke) 16:55 A7 Carioca (Youmans) 19:54 B1 Just One Of Those Things (Porter) 22:12 B2 Lullaby In Rhythm (Goodman,Profit,Sampson,Hirsch) 24:57 B3 Stonehenge (Russo) 28:10 B4 Procession (Russo) 31:11 B5 I Remember You (Mercer,Schertzinger) 34:06 B6 Hawaiian War Chant (Noble,Leleiohoku,Freed) Bass – Johnny Hawksworth Drums – Ronnie Verrell Leader – Ted Heath Piano – Frank Horrox Saxophone – Henry Mackenzie,Ken Kiddier,Les Gilbert, Red Price, Ronnie Chamberlain Trombone – Don Lusher, Jimmy Coombes, Ric Kennedy, Wally Smith Trumpet – Bert Ezzard, Bobby Pratt, Duncan Campbell, Eddie Blair Recorded May 1st 1956
Decca