Woody Herman - Woody Herman 1913-1987 (2004)

Woody Herman A fine swing clarinetist, an altoist whose sound was influenced by Johnny Hodges, a solid soprano saxophonist, and a spirited blues vocalist, Woody Herman's greatest significance to jazz was as the leader of a long line of big bands. He always encouraged young talent and, more than practically any bandleader from the swing era, kept his repertoire quite modern. Although Herman was always stuck performing a few of his older hits (he played "Four Brothers" and "Early Autumn" nightly for nearly 40 years), he much preferred to play and create new music.Woody Herman began performing as a child, singing in vaudeville. He started playing saxophone when he was 11, and four years later he was a professional musician. He picked up early experience playing with the big bands of Tom Gerun, Harry Sosnik, and Gus Arnheim, and then in 1934, he joined the Isham Jones orchestra. He recorded often with Jones, and when the veteran bandleader decided to break up his orchestra in 1936, Herman formed one of his own out of the remaining nucleus. The great majority of the early Herman recordings feature the bandleader as a ballad vocalist, but it was the instrumentals that caught on, leading to his group being known as "the Band That Plays the Blues." Woody Herman's theme "At the Woodchopper's Ball" became his first hit (1939). Herman's early group played with a Dixieland feel to many of the looser pieces, with vocals contributed by Mary Ann McCall, in addition to Herman.

Tracklist
01. At the Woodchopper's Ball (3:15)
02. It's a Blue World (3:11)
03. Indian Boogie Woogie (3:08)
04. Four or Five Times (3:07)
05. East Side Kick (3:24)
06. Blues Downstairs (2:45)
07. Yardbird Shuffle (2:41)
08. Golden Wedding (3:07)
09. Fan It (2:57)
10. Careless (3:16)
11. Who's Dat Up Here (3:09)
12. South (2:52)
13. Get Your Boots Laced Pa (5:58)
14. Blue Ink (3:00)
15. Fort Worth Jail (2:51)
16. Blues (2:48)
17. Herman at the Sherman (3:06)
18. Too Late (2:44)
19. Junkin' (2:59)
20. Blues on Parade (3:08)
21. Woodsheddin' With Woody (2:08)

01. Apple Honey (3:18)
02. Laura (3:21)
03. Northwest Passage (3:12)
04. Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe (3:28)
05. Goosey Gander (3:24)
06. Bijou (Rhumba A La Jazz) (3:23)
07. The Good Earth (2:32)
08. Your Father's Moustache (3:24)
09. Blowin' Up a Storm (2:23)
10. Summer Sequence (Parts 1-1V) (11:51)
11. lady McGowan's Dream (Parts 1&2) (5:17)
12. Sidewalks of Cuba (2:59)
13. Keen and Peachy (2:52)
14. Everywhere (3:09)
15. Woodchopper's Ball (3:10)
16. I've Got News For You (3:24)
17. The Goof and I (2:52)
18. Four Brothers (3:14)
19. Keeper Of The Flame (3:02)
20. Early Autumn (3:12)
21. Lemon Drop (2:50)