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The Jazz Life— Ted Heath and His Music
Our Kind of Jazz
Back in 1958 Decca released Our Kind Of Jazz by the Ted Heath Orchestra — plus guests — which sounds as fresh today as the day the tracks were recorded at the old Decca studios in Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, reminding us what a superb outfit the Heath orchestra was. You only have to look at the personnel of the band to realise it’s a Who’s Who of British Jazz of the 1950s.
On saxes alone we have guests Don Rendell, the much lamented Ronnie Scott — who was, along with Rendell, an inspiration to a whole generation of British tenor players, not least Tubby Hayes, who, with Scott created the now legendary Jazz Couriers, and once had the delight and honour of playing in the Ellington band when Paul Gonzalves was ill. The rest of the sax section includes the unforgettable Tommy Whittle, who for a while was the musical director at the Dorchester Hotel in London. He also played in the Dankworth orchestra for years. Just listen to these three tenor players — plus Red Price — kick off side one of the record with Ronnie Roullier’s Four Fours to hear sax section playing at its most accomplished — you simply don’t want it to stop! The section is completed by regular Heath sidemen Ken Kiddier, Henry Mackenzie, and Ronnie Chamberlain, whose soprano sax playing must have inspired the young John Surman on to great things.
