Decca Singles and Rarities, Vol. 2

Ted Heath made his first recordings as a leader for British Decca in February 1944, and did his part to keep that company solvent over the next 25 years. A perusal of the Heath discography reveals bursts of studio recording activity in and amongst countless broadcast performances, and at no time was Heath busier in both departments than during the second half of the '50s. Vol. 2 of Dutton Vocalion's Decca Singles and Rarities covers the provocative years 1955-1959. During this period, Heath's playlist became a colorful mesh of enjoyable music that included cha-chas, calypsos, popular dance hits like "Tequila" and "Raunchy," theme music from Peter Gunn and The Man with the Golden Arm, nifty originals, and swing standards like the "9:20 Special" by Count Basie's alto saxophonist Earle Warren, as well as contemporary jazz favorites by Cannonball Adderley and Jon Hendricks. Tracks 23-27 come from a series of stereo demonstration recordings made in 1958. If you suffer from a gnawing desire to test your sound system's stereo separation, treat your neighbors to "The Hot Gavotte" at maximum volume.