Ted Heath

London Suite - Piccadilly

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. Piccadilly is scored as an up-tempo yet light and bouncy swing chart that reflects the urban sophistication and wealth of the area. There are solos for Alto 1, Tenor and Guitar (or Piano), some lovely sectional interplays, powerful ensemble passages and a couple of sweet sax soli passages too. Taken down from the 1947 recording this is not an easy chart to play and the opening measure of unison Trumpets up to top C reflects this. However, with practice and good teamwork the chart will gel nicely. There are no sax doubles.