Harry South: The Songbook review – a perfect potted history

Composer, arranger and pianist Harry South was at the epicentre of British jazz from the mid-1950s until his early death in 1990. He seems to have written or played for everyone of note, which makes this four-CD set a perfect potted history of the period. Tubby Hayes, Joe Harriott, Dick Morrissey, Humphrey Lyttelton – they’re all here, with dozens more, including Ronnie Scott, crowding into South’s own broadcasting big band. He was an indispensable figure and, although his name was practically unknown outside the jazz world, he did succeed in creating the most emblematic TV theme of its day, the title music to The Sweeney.