Woody Herman

Woody Herman earned his lasting place in jazz chiefly by guiding successive big bands across many decades. Skilled as a clarinetist rooted in swing, an alto saxophonist shaped by Johnny Hodges, a dependable soprano player, and a lively blues singer, he repeatedly welcomed fresh talent and maintained a forward-looking book long after most contemporaries from the swing years had settled into routine. Though nightly performances of established favorites such as “Four Brothers” and “Early Autumn” continued for nearly forty years, Herman consistently sought opportunities to develop and introduce new material.

He first appeared before audiences as a youngster in vaudeville, took up saxophone at age eleven, and turned professional four years later. Early seasoning came with the orchestras of Tom Gerun, Harry Sosnik, and Gus Arnheim before he entered the Isham Jones band in 1934. Frequent recordings with Jones led to Herman assembling his own group from its remaining core when the veteran leader disbanded in 1936. Most of the initial Herman discs spotlighted the leader’s ballad singing, yet the instrumentals proved more durable and earned the unit the nickname “the Band That Plays the Blues.” The 1939 recording of Herman’s theme “At the Woodchopper’s Ball” became his first commercial success. Early ensembles often imparted a Dixieland flavor to looser numbers, with Mary Ann McCall sharing vocal duties alongside Herman. Decca sessions occurred at a steady pace, and for a time trumpeter-singer Billie Rogers served as a prominent attraction.

By 1943 the orchestra had begun evolving into what would be called the Herd, later designated the First Herd. An advanced Dizzy Gillespie chart titled “Down Under” had already been captured the previous year, and during 1943 Duke Ellington’s influence became pronounced, even bringing guest appearances by Johnny Hodges and Ben Webster. The transformation reached completion by the close of 1944 with an essentially new roster. The resulting ensemble generated exuberant excitement through powerful brass led by lead trumpeter Pete Candoli, standout solo work from trombonist Bill Harris and tenorman Flip Phillips, and a propulsive rhythm section anchored by bassist and cheerleader Chubby Jackson together with drummer Dave Tough. In 1945, now featuring trumpeters Sonny Berman and Conte Candoli, the First Herd stood out as the most dynamic new big band on the scene. Arrangements by Ralph Burns and Neal Hefti quickly assumed classic status, while pieces such as “Apple Honey,” “Caldonia,” “Northwest Passage,” “Bijou”—Harris’s distinctive feature—and “Your Father’s Mustache” entered the permanent repertoire. Igor Stravinsky, impressed, composed “Ebony Concerto” for the band’s 1946 performance. Domestic circumstances nevertheless prompted Herman to dissolve the orchestra at its peak late that year.

After limited interim recordings, he assembled the Second Herd by mid-1947, soon labeled the Four Brothers band. Its core consisted of the cool-toned tenor saxophonists Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, and Herbie Steward—replaced a year later by Al Cohn—plus baritonist Serge Chaloff, producing a leaner sonority than the outgoing First Herd while still capable of generating its own intensity. Trumpeter-arranger Shorty Rogers and eventually Bill Harris rejoined, and with Mary Ann McCall returning on vocals the group showed strong promise. Despite popular successes including Jimmy Giuffre’s “Four Brothers,” “The Goof and I,” and “Early Autumn”—the last of which established Getz as a star—financial pressures mounted. Before the unit folded in 1949, additional contributors such as Gene Ammons, Lou Levy, Oscar Pettiford, Terry Gibbs, and Shelly Manne left significant marks.

Herman next organized the Third Herd, which resembled its predecessor yet generally favored dance tempos and adopted a somewhat more measured stance. He sustained this edition from roughly 1950 through 1956, briefly operating his own Mars label. Among the many sidemen who passed through were Conte Candoli, Al Cohn, Dave McKenna, Phil Urso, Don Fagerquist, Carl Fontana, Dick Hafer, Bill Perkins, Nat Pierce, Dick Collins, and Richie Kamuca. Short-lived small-group ventures followed, including a sextet with Nat Adderley and Charlie Byrd, before the New Thundering Herd achieved acclaim at the 1959 Monterey Jazz Festival. Herman maintained a working big band throughout the 1960s, spotlighting high-note trumpeter Bill Chase, trombonist Phil Wilson, the steadfast Nat Pierce, and the vigorous tenor of Sal Nistico. Remaining receptive to evolving idioms, the bop-oriented unit gradually incorporated rock influences by drawing on young sidemen’s charts of contemporary pop material, beginning in 1968 with the album Light My Fire. While not every recording from this period succeeded equally, Herman’s willingness to experiment drew consistent respect. As one of only four jazz-oriented leaders from the swing era—alongside Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Stan Kenton—still touring internationally with a full orchestra, he introduced further newcomers in the 1970s such as Greg Herbert, Andy LaVerne, Joe Beck, Alan Broadbent, and Frank Tiberi. He also collaborated with Chick Corea, reunited with Flip Phillips, and marked his fortieth anniversary as a leader with a notable Carnegie Hall concert in 1976.

By the late 1970s Herman refocused on straight-ahead jazz. Ongoing difficulties with the IRS, stemming from a 1960s manager’s failure to remit thousands of dollars in taxes withheld from sidemen’s salaries, compelled him to tour and perform relentlessly into advanced age. He maintained an upbeat public demeanor while celebrating his fiftieth anniversary as a bandleader in 1986. Declining health gradually led him to delegate most responsibilities to Frank Tiberi before his death in 1987. Tiberi continued to direct a Woody Herman Orchestra on an occasional basis, yet the ensemble never recorded. Herman’s extensive career nevertheless received thorough documentation across every phase.