Ted Heath

London Suite - Chelsea

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. Chelsea is scored as a relaxed tempo swing chart that reflects the artistic bohemian feel of the area at the time. There are solos for Piano, Trumpet and Alto 1 on Clarinet, plus a cameo solo line for Baritone, a sweet sax section passage, laid-back Trombone soli and strong ensemble work. Taken down from the 1947 recording this is not a hard chart to play and aside from Alto 1 on Clarinet there are no sax doubles.