Home » Jazz Articles » Woody Herman

Jazz Articles about Woody Herman

8
Film Review

Woody Herman: Blue Flame - Portrait Of A Legend

Read "Woody Herman: Blue Flame - Portrait Of A Legend" reviewed by Edward Blanco


Woody HermanBlue Flame--Portrait Of A LegandJazzed Media 2012Born on May 16, 1913, Woodrow Charles “Woody" Herman is the subject of this feature-length documentary, produced by Jazzed Media's Graham Carter in association with Al Julian's The Woody Herman Society in recognition of the clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, bandleader and American jazz icon's Centennial birthday. Woody Herman: Blue Flame--Portrait of a Jazz Legend is much more than an entertaining film about one of the greatest ...

6
Film Review

Woody Herman: Blue Flame - Portrait Of A Jazz Legend

Read "Woody Herman: Blue Flame - Portrait Of A Jazz Legend" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Woody HermanBlue Flame: Portrait Of A Jazz LegendJazzed Media2012 Innovation and boundary pushing is often seen as a young man's game, so the obvious question is, how did clarinetist/saxophonist/vocalist/bandleader extraordinaire Woody Herman manage to keep things fresh for virtually his entire half-century run? The answer is so simple that it almost belongs in the common sense category: Herman continued to tap young musicians to shape his groups' sound from the time ...

333
Album Review

Woody Herman: Live Jazz From Club 15

Read "Live Jazz From Club 15" reviewed by Larry Taylor


Fans of Woody Herman's Herds and big bands in general should welcome Live Jazz From Club 15, which captures his young band in the sixties.

Those who visited Las Vegas four decades ago, before it became the entertainment capital of the world, knew they could see and hear great jazz in casino lounges adjacent to the main showrooms. Request Records has recently released six CDs of live recordings made in Vegas during that time under the umbrella title Live Jazz ...

247
Album Review

Woody Herman: The Everest Years

Read "The Everest Years" reviewed by David Rickert


Woody Herman's late-fifties band was stocked with talented newcomers and a few seasoned veterans, all of whom as a unit packed the powerful punch that of a generation of players weaned on Ellington and bebop records. While many big bands were floundering or had packed it in, Herman's Herd continued to create worthwhile music even after his best work was behind him.

This compilation features tracks from five different releases on the Everest label and showcases a band ...

184
Album Review

Woody Herman: Herman's Heat and Puente's Beat

Read "Herman's Heat and Puente's Beat" reviewed by David Rickert


Woody Herman's fine band from the fifties never really got its due. It lives in the shadow of the more famous Second Herd, and most of Herman's records from this period remain out of print. However, Herman and company was still at the top of their game. Most of his featured players were relative unknowns, yet were weaned on a steady diet of bebop and Ellington and no doubt absorbed the lessons of those who occupied their chairs before.

417
Album Review

Woody Herman: The Complete Columbia Recordings of Woody Herman and His Orchestra & Woodchoppers (1945-1947)

Read "The Complete Columbia Recordings of Woody Herman and His  Orchestra & Woodchoppers (1945-1947)" reviewed by George Harris


Leave it to Mosaic to be the one to finally get it right. After Columbia's initial poorly engineered Greatest Hits back in the '80s, and their better sounding (but hardly complete) two-CD set two years ago, Woody Herman is finally represented in the respectful manner he is due with a delicious seven-CD (limited edition) box set. This beauty is not only an absolute must for Herman fans, but it also serves as a testament for all music fans who want ...

203
Album Review

Woody Herman: The Band That Plays The Blues 1938

Read "The Band That Plays The Blues 1938 " reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


The Pre-Thundering Herd...

 

Woodrow Charles Herman was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 16, 1913. An excellent clarinet and saxophonist and vocalist, Herman was to be best known for leading a series of influential big bands. Like Hector Berlioz, Woody Herman would be better know for this ability to make a band play than for his ability to play a given instrument. The present Naxos Jazz Legends release details the period prior to the First Herd, apt the named ...


Engage

Contest Giveaways
Enter our latest contest giveaway sponsored by Calligram Records
Polls & Surveys
Vote for your favorite musicians and participate in our brief surveys.
Publisher's Desk
How To Follow Staff Writers
Read on...

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.