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Woody Herman not only led an orchestra for 50 years, but kept his music fresh with an evolving succession of styles. His first band, which recorded the hit "Woodchoppers' Ball" in '39, had a Dixieland/blues bent. Later this gave way to a bebop influence unusual for a unit of this size, due in no small measure to the arrangements of Neal Hefti and Ralph Burns and the style of such players as bassist Chubby Jackson and saxophonist Flip Phillips.
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In '46, Igor Stravinsky wrote a new work for the Woody Herman Orchestra to play at Carnegie Hall. This was an exciting time for the band, which won polls in both Esquire and Down Beat. Many Herman sidemen - such as the "Four Brothers" Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz and Serge Chaloff - went on to further glory.
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Read Leonard's Notes on the Program
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