In the summer of 1955 Woody Herman broke up his big band and put together a small, eight-piece group to hit Las Vegas. The unusual instrumentation of this octet—two trumpets, bass trumpet, tenor, clarinet and rhythm—gave it a big, almost full orchestral sound. “The group was terrifically exciting to play with. It had the old time spirit with modern thoughts,” said Herman effusively. Aside from Woody’s clarinet and vocals, Cy Touff, Richie Kamuca, and Dick Collins are the featured soloists. All the vitality that Herman injected into anything he touched is unmistakably present here. Seven full-size Herd tracks from 1956 complete this set.
The swinging and strongly Basie-felt arrangements are by Ralph Burns, Manny Albam, Nat Pierce and Johnny Coppola, and the solos are by Harris, Guaraldi, Feldman, Coppola, and Marsh. As a bonus, you can hear Woody sing the Blues with the late-night warmth and ease of phrasing that always made him so enjoyable.
Woody Herman His Octet and His Band:
Featuring Dick Collins, Johnny Coppola, Bill Castagnino, Burt Collins, Dud Harvey (tp), Cy Touff (btp), Bill Harris, Bob Lamb, Wayne Andre (tb), Woody Herman (cl, vcl), Richie Kamuca, Bob Hardaway, Arno Marsh (ts), Jay Cameron (bars), Vic Feldman (vb), Remo Biondi
17 Tracks. Recorded in Hollywood, 1955; and Chicago, 1956.