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Woody Herman
1976
1976
Background information
Birth name Woodrow Charles Herman
Born May 16, 1913 (1913-05-16)
Origin Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died October 29, 1987 (aged 74)
Genre(s) Big band music
Swing, Cool jazz
Occupation(s) Bandleader, Saxophonist, Clarinetist, Singer
Instrument(s) Saxophone, Clarinet, Vocals
Associated acts Isham Jones

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. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other A big band is a type of Musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of Jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United Cool jazz is a Jazz style that emerged in the late 1940s in New York City. A bandleader is the leader of a band of Musicians The term is most commonly though not exclusively used with a group that plays Popular music as The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind A clarinetist (also spelled clarinettist) is a Musician who plays the Clarinet. A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind The clarinet is a Musical instrument in the Woodwind family The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. Isham Jones ( 31 January, 1894 &ndash 19 October, 1956) was a United States bandleader violinist bassist and Songwriter Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States A clarinetist (also spelled clarinettist) is a Musician who plays the Clarinet. The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind A big band is a type of Musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late A bandleader is the leader of a band of Musicians The term is most commonly though not exclusively used with a group that plays Popular music as

Contents

Beginnings

Herman was born Woodrow Charles Thomas Herman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 16, 1913. [Lees 4] His parents were Ray and Myrtle Herrman. [Lees 5] As a child he worked as a singer in vaudeville, then became a professional saxophone player at age 15. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind In 1931, he met Charlotte Neste, an aspiring actress. [Clancy 13] They later married. Woody Herman joined the Tom Gerun band and his first recorded vocals were "Lonesome Me" and "My Heart's At Ease". [Clancy 15] Herman also performed with the Harry Sosnick orchestra [Clancy 16] and Gus Arnheim and Isham Jones. Gus Arnheim ( September 4, 1897 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania – January 1955 in Los Angeles California) was an early popular band leader Isham Jones ( 31 January, 1894 &ndash 19 October, 1956) was a United States bandleader violinist bassist and Songwriter [Clancy 17] Isham Jones wrote many popular songs, including "It Had To Be You"[2] and at some point was tiring of the demands of leading a band. Jones wanted to live off the residuals of his songs. "While we were with Jones, we discussed the possibilities of [Woody being the leader] after we heard Isham was going to quit. " [Clancy 20] Woody Herman eventually acquired the remains of Jones' orchestra after Isham Jones decided to retire.

The Band That Plays The Blues and the First Herd 1936-1946

Woody Herman's first band became known for its orchestrations of the blues and was sometimes billed as "The Band That Plays The Blues". The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression "The numbering of the early Herman bands has caused much confusion among fans and musicians. A few individuals consider Woody's first band or 'The Band That Plays The Blues,' the 'First Herd,' but among the majority of music critics and writers, the 'First Herd' refers to the band of 1944-1946. " [Clancy 53]

"At the end of 1944 [. . . ] Woody signed a contract with Columbia records. He said later that he liked the sound the company's engineers got in Liederkrantz Hall in New York City [. . . ]. " [Lees 108] Liederkrantz Hall was a "former church and had a very high ceiling. " [Lees 108] The Columbia contract coincided with a change in the band's repertoire. The First Herd's music was heavily influenced by Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29 1899 &ndash May 24 1974 was an American Composer, Pianist, and Bandleader. William "Count" Basie ( August 21, 1904 &ndash April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, Organist Its lively, swinging arrangements, combining bop themes with swing rhythm parts, were greatly admired. Bebop or bop is a form of Jazz characterized by fast Tempos and Improvisation based on Harmonic structure rather than Melody Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of Jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United As of February, 1945 the personnel included Sonny Berman, Pete Candoli, Billy Bauer (later replaced by Chuck Wayne), Ralph Burns, Davey Tough and Flip Phillips. Saul "Sonny" Berman ( April 21, 1925 &ndash January 16, 1947) was an American Bebop Jazz Trumpeter Pete Candoli (born Walter Joseph Candoli) ( June 28, 1923 &ndash January 11, 2008) was an American swing Billy Bauer ( November 14 1915 &ndash June 16 2005) was an American Cool jazz Guitarist. Chuck Wayne ( 27 February, 1923 – 29 July, 1997) was a jazz guitarist who came to prominence in the 1940s Ralph Burns ( June 29, 1922 – November 21, 2001) was a Songwriter, Bandleader, Composer, conductor Dave Tough ( 26 April, 1907 &ndash 9 December, 1948, sometimes known as Davie or Davey Tough) was an American Flip Phillips ( February 26 1915 — August 17 2001) was a Jazz Tenor saxophone and Clarinet player [Lees 109] On February 26, 1945 in New York City, the Woody Herman band recorded "Caldonia". [Clancy 68] "Ralph [Burns] caught Louis Jordan [singing "Caldonia"] in an act and wrote the opening twelve bars and the eight bar tag. Louis Jordan ( July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was a pioneering American Jazz, Blues and Rhythm & blues " [Clancy 68] "But the most amazing thing on the record was a soaring eight bar passage by trumpets near the end. " These eight measures have wrongly been attributed to a Dizzy Gillespie solo, but were in fact originally written by Neal Hefti. [Lees 109]

In 1946 the band won Downbeat, Metronome, Billboard and Esquire polls for best band, nominated by their peers in the big band business. [Clancy 90] Along with the high acclaim for their jazz and blues performances, classical composer Igor Stravinsky wrote the Ebony Concerto, one in a series of compositions commissioned by Woody with solo clarinet, for this band. Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский) ( &ndash 6 April 1971 was a Russian born Composer, considered by many to Woody Herman would record this work in the Belock Recording Studio at Bayside New York[1] in 1959, and released in January 1959 as SDBR 3009. The recording has been released on a CD by Everest EVC 9049.

Woody Herman said about the Concerto: "What we were doing then, the First Herd [. . . ] were heavy, strong, jazz things, with lots of open brass and so forth [. . . ]. [. . . ] [Ebony Concerto is a] very delicate and a very sad piece. " [Clancy 88] Stravinsky felt that the jazz musicians would have a hard time with the various time signatures. Saxophonist Flip Philips said "during the rehearsal [. . . ] there was a passage I had to play there and I was playing it soft, and Stravinsky said 'Play it, here I am!' and I blew it louder and he threw me a kiss!'" [Clancy 89] Ebony Concerto opened March 25, 1946 at Carnegie Hall. [3]

Despite the Carnegie Hall success and other triumphs, Herman was forced to disband the orchestra in 1946 at the height of its success. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This was his only financially successful band; he left it to spend more time with his wife and family. During this time, he and his family had just moved into the former Hollywood home of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. One reason Herman may have disbanded was his wife Charlotte's growing problems with alcoholism and pill addiction. "[After Woody Herman broke up his band] Charlotte joined Alcoholics Anonymous. [. . . ] Charlotte gave up even wine[. . . ]. [. . . ] Woody said, laughing, 'I went to an AA meeting with Charlotte and my old band was sitting there. '" [Lees 147] Many critics cite December of 1946 as the actual date the big band era ended and eight other bands in addition to Herman's, called it quits. [Lees 147]

The Second Herd and Other Bands 1947-1987

In 1947 Herman organized the Second Herd. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This band was also known as "The Four Brothers Band". This derives from the song recorded December 27, 1947 for Columbia records, "Four Brothers", written by Jimmy Giuffre. " Four Brothers " (1947 is a Jazz standard composed by Jimmy Giuffre and performed by the Woody Herman Orchestra [Clancy 120] "The 'Four Brothers' chart is based on the chord changes of 'Jeepers Creepers', and features the three-tenor, one-baritone saxophone section[. "Jeepers Creepers" is a popular 1938 Song and Jazz standard. . . ]. " [Clancy 121] The order of the saxophone solos is Zoot Sims, Herbie Steward, Serge Chaloff and Stan Getz. John Haley "Zoot" Sims ( October 29, 1925 - March 23, 1985) was an American Jazz Tenor saxophonist Herbie Steward, b Herbert Steward May 7, 1926 Los Angeles, is an American Jazz saxophonist, best known for being the tenor saxophone Serge Chaloff ( November 24, 1923 &ndash July 16, 1957) was an American Jazz baritone saxophonist. Stanley Gayetzky ( February 2, 1927 in Philadelphia – June 6, 1991 in Malibu, California) usually known by [Clancy 121] Some of the notable musicians of this band were also Al Cohn, Gene Ammons, Lou Levy, Oscar Pettiford, Terry Gibbs, and Shelly Manne. Al Cohn was an American Jazz Saxophonist and arranger/composer Eugene "Jug" Ammons ( April 14, 1925 - August 6, 1974) was an American Jazz tenor saxophone player, Louis A Levy ( March 5, 1928 &ndash January 23, 2001) generally known as Lou Levy, was a Bebop -based pianist who worked Oscar Pettiford ( 30 September, 1922 in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, &ndash 8 September, 1960 in Copenhagen, Denmark Terry Gibbs (born 1924 is an American Jazz Vibraphonist and Band leader. Shelly Manne (June 11 1920&ndashSeptember 26 1984 born Sheldon Manne in New York City, was an American jazz drummer. [2] Among this band's hits were "Early Autumn," and "The Goof and I".

Herman and his band appeared in the movie New Orleans in 1947 with Billie Holliday and Louis Armstrong. New Orleans is a 1947 musical drama featuring Billie Holiday as a singing maid and Louis Armstrong as a bandleader Holiday and Armstrong perform together Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7 1915 – July 17 1959 was an American Jazz singer and songwriter Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter [4]

Herman's other bands include the Third Herd (1950-1956) and various editions of the New Thundering Herd (1959-1987). [3] In the 1950s, the Third Herd went on a successful European tour. [Clancy 192] He was known for hiring the best young musicians and using their arrangements. His band's book in the sixties consequently came to be heavily influenced by rock and roll. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African [Clancy 275] "In 1968 Woody started to use an electronic rhythm section with electric piano and bass, combined with the traditional big band instrumentation [. . . ] producing the fusion of a rock beat with the timbre of horns. " [Clancy 271] He was also known too feature brass and woodwind instruments not traditionally associated with jazz, such as the bassoon, oboe or French horn.

In 1974, Woody Herman and his "Young Thundering Herd" appeared with Frank Sinatra for his television special The Main Event and subsequent album, The Main Event – Live. Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor The Main Event – Live is a 1974 (see 1974 in music) live album and television special by Frank Sinatra. Both were recorded on October 13 1974 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. [Clancy 291] On November 20, 1976, a reconstituted Woody Herman band played at Carnegie Hall in New York City, celebrating Herman's fortieth anniversary as a bandleader. [Clancy 299] By the 1980s, Herman had returned to straight forward jazz, dropping some of the newer rock and fusion approaches. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. [Clancy 312-313] Circa 1980, Woody Herman signed a recording contract with Concord Records, now the Concord Music Group. [Wilson, 1981] On March 15, 1981, John S. Wilson wrote in The New York Times of one of Herman's first Concord recordings "Woody Herman Presents a Concord Jam, Vol. I": "[This recording] takes him back to the days before his high pressure First Herd of 1944 and 1945, to the more relaxed feeling of his original band of the late 1930s, 'the band that plays the blues [. . . ]. "

Last years

Herman continued to perform into the 1980s, after the death of his wife and his health declining, chiefly to pay back taxes caused by an incompetent manager in the 1960s. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 "[In the mid nineteen-sixties] the Internal Revenue Service sent Woody a letter ordering him to appear in person in its office. He arrived with Abe [Turchen]. [. . . ] He was handed a tax bill for $750,000. With interest and penalties, the amount was $1. 6 million. " [Lees 272] With the added stress, Herman still kept performing. In a December 5, 1985 review of the band at the Blue Note jazz club for The New York Times, John S. Wilson pointed out: "In a one-hour set, Mr. Herman is able to show off his latest batch of young stars — the baritone saxophonist Mike Brignola, the bassist Bill Moring, the pianist Brad Williams, the trumpeter Ron Stout — and to remind listeners that one of his own basic charms is the dry humor with which he shouts the blues. " Wilson also spoke about arrangements by Bill Holman and John Fedchock for special attention. John Fedchock (b September 18 1957 Cleveland, Ohio) is an American Jazz trombonist bandleader and arranger Wilson spoke of the continuing influence of Duke Ellington on the Woody Herman bands from the nineteen forties to the nineteen eighties. [Wilson 1985]

Before his death in 1987 he delegated most of his duties to leader of the reed section, Frank Tiberi[5]. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Frank Tiberi, of Camden New Jersey, is the leader of the Woody Herman Orchestra Tiberi leads the current version of the Woody Herman orchestra. [6] Frank Tiberi said at the time of Herman's death "I wouldn't play anyone else's arrangements [. . . ] We're going to remain with what [Woody Herman] was doing. " [Clancy 397] Woody Herman's funeral and "Requiem Mass, conducted by Monsignor George J. Parnassus, began at 10 am on the morning of November 2, 1987 at St. Victor's Catholic Church, in West Hollywood [California] [. . . ]. " [Lees 368]

Concord Music Group's website mentions these awards won by the various Woody Herman orchestras: "Voted best swing band in 1945 Down Beat poll; Silver Award by critics in 1946 and 1947 Esquire polls; won Metronome poll, band division, 1946 and 1953; won NARAS Grammy Award for Encore as best big band jazz album of 1963; won NARAS Grammy Award for Giant Steps as best big band jazz album of 1973. "[7] Woody Herman was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987[8]. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who during their lifetimes have made creative contributions of outstanding

Works Cited

http://concordmusicgroup.com/artists/bio/?id=1127

See also

References

  1. ^ Liner notes of the re-release by the Everest Recording Group Inc. A big band is a type of Musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late A jazz band (or jazz ensemble) is a Musical ensemble that plays Jazz Music usually without a conductor
  2. ^ [1]Yahoo Woody-Herman biography
  3. ^ The Verve Music Group website biography is the source for all dates given here.

External links

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