Woody Herman
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Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987), better known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and Big band leader. During his lifetime, he led some of the most exciting big bands of the twentieth century. His bands changed styles and approaches to jazz but still managed to keep their musical integrity.
Herman was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a child he worked as a singer in vaudeville, then became a professional saxophone player at age 15. When Isham Jones’s band, of which Herman had been a member, broke up in 1936, he formed his own band, the Woody Herman Orchestra, with some of his band mates. This band became known for its orchestrations of the blues and was sometimes billed as “The Band That Plays The Blues”.
On April 12, 1939 Woody Herman recorded his greatest commercial and mega popular hit record “Woodchoppers’ Ball”, featuring Woody on clarinet, Neal Ried on trombone, Saxie Mansfield on Sax, Steady Nelson on trumpet and Hy White on guitar. Other big early hits were “Blue Flame,” “Dupree Blues”, “Blues Upstairs and Downstairs” and “Blues in the Night” with Joe Bishop on flugelhorn, Tommy Linehans on piano, Cappy Lewis on trumpet, and the strong rhythm team of Walt Yoder and Frankie Carlson.
Herman was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a child he worked as a singer in vaudeville, then became a professional saxophone player at age 15. When Isham Jones’s band, of which Herman had been a member, broke up in 1936, he formed his own band, the Woody Herman Orchestra, with some of his band mates. This band became known for its orchestrations of the blues and was sometimes billed as “The Band That Plays The Blues”.
On April 12, 1939 Woody Herman recorded his greatest commercial and mega popular hit record “Woodchoppers’ Ball”, featuring Woody on clarinet, Neal Ried on trombone, Saxie Mansfield on Sax, Steady Nelson on trumpet and Hy White on guitar. Other big early hits were “Blue Flame,” “Dupree Blues”, “Blues Upstairs and Downstairs” and “Blues in the Night” with Joe Bishop on flugelhorn, Tommy Linehans on piano, Cappy Lewis on trumpet, and the strong rhythm team of Walt Yoder and Frankie Carlson.
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Featured Tracks
| FULL TRACK Ebony Concerto: II. Andante | 2:06 |
| FULL TRACK Ebony Concerto: I. Allegro Moderato | 3:28 |
| FULL TRACK Ebony Concerto: III. Moderato; con Moto | 3:34 |
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The Philips Recordings
Woody Herman
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Story
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Blue Flame
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The Thundering Herds 1945-1947
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Shoutbox
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spookyassy wrote:
<3
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yhy_jasne wrote:
Similar artists: More bros in suits grinning at the camera. <- win
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Mlyukov wrote:
Woody Herman! wow. Come on, burn!
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eryqah wrote:
@YoVultures That's the way it should be ;)
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johntardsbaby66 wrote:
v good job being original, nobody's ever made that joke before...
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YoVultures wrote:
Similar artists: More bros in suits grinning at the camera.
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BraveSirRobben wrote:
swing at its best!
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frederickellis wrote:
The Four Brothers is a fabulous number - but - when you see this number performed live with the four sax`s (brothers) grouped round the "mike" - when they burst in ,it`s sensational..
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duomosik wrote:
If you like jazz clarinet, you should probably check out our new album JOHANN! Full length previews and a free download! Bon swing!
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zrsullivan wrote:
Ah, when that alto comes in on 'Early Autumn'!
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falsemuzzle wrote:
sorry dude....didn't join until '08 :-P he is awesome!
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LoweSox wrote:
Woodchopper's Ball is life-defining. If I could swing to this, I could die happy.
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prettyghost wrote:
i agree with zrsullivan, wholeheartedly!
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zrsullivan wrote:
his mid-40's work is fantastically underrated. & you all should be ashamed of yourselves, forcing me to comment first.
Videos
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Orchestra - Four Brothers
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Four Brothers
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Orchestra - Woodchopper's Ball
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