Euphoria! (2000)

About this title: Ted Heath was one of the very best British big band leaders of the 1940s and '50s. In 2000, Jasmine Records unleashed a 24-track Ted Heath retrospective that should be counted among the very finest in his entire discography. This chronologically stacked anthology opens with "Opus One," a punchy delight that comes from his second-ever recording session, a Decca date that took place on December 18, 1944. Heath's progress is neatly mapped with solid selections including a big band adaptation of Fats Waller's "London Suite," a lovely rendering of Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady" and well ... read more

Tracks:

1. Opus One [Oliver/Garris]
2. My Guy's Come Back [Powell/Mckinley]
3. East of the Sun (And West of the Moon) [Bowman]
4. Bakerloo Non-Stop [Baker]
5. Ad Lib Frolic [Baker]
6. Turn on the Heath [Finckel]
7. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square [Maschwitz/Sherwin]
8. Chelsea [Waller]
9. Whitechapel [Waller]
10. Limehouse [Waller]
11. Bond Street [Waller]
12. Piccadilly [Waller]
13. Soho [Waller]
14. Big Ben Bounce [Oliver/Jacobs]
15. Pagan Love Song [Brown/Freed]
16. Song of the Vagabonds [Friml]
17. Hindustan [Wallace/Weeks]
18. Ladybird [Dameron]
19. Stratford Water [Briggs]
20. Night Train to Scotland [Briggs]
21. Sophisticated Lady [Ellington/Parish/Mi]
22. Lyonia [Dameron]
23. Euphoria [Ventura/Kral]
24. Listen to My Music [Heath]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.