Woody Herman - The Fourth Herd

As some of you may or may not know, I am a collector of the Jazzland label.  I began the project by firstly seeking out the sides which were issued under the labels imprint.  After acquiring the low hanging fruit, I still have a handful of sessions to find.

The Fourth Herd has crossed my path before, but in horrid condition so I was forced to pass.  My patience was rewarded when I found this copy through a local dealer.  The album is just fantastic - Herman at his best.  All of the tunes are hard swingin and uplifting, wonderfully positive vibes.  The featured players all play their asses off, particularily Adderley.

The idea of Woody's Fourth Herd was to have a band within a band.  So when the orchestra pulls back, there is a core octet to pick up the tune - this is where the featured guests really come in.  It worked out quite nicely, and of course when the full band comes in they hit hard.  Super tight, bright and brassy - a huge dynamic punch to the gut!!  The whole album is a winner, filled with excitement and interesting twists and turns.

As far as I know, this album was paired with another for a CD release by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs (MOFI) and is the only instance of a digital release.  I haven't heard it but we can assume it would be excellent.  Well I would put this transfer against anything that may be out there.  The mono vinyl is minty, ripped at 24bit / 48kHz wav and converted to FLAC.  It's wonderfully dynamic and open... enjoy!!!

This CD is quite a bit different than most audiophile releases for it contains rare rather than famous recordings. 1959's The Fourth Herd (which features an all-star group of studio musicians and Woody Herman alumni along with his octet of the time) was only put out briefly by Jazzland while the music on 1962's The New World of Woody Herman was never available commercially before; both were originally cut for the SESAC Transcribed Library and were available only to selected radio stations on a subscription basis. The earlier session has solo spots for tenors Zoot Sims, Al Cohn and Don Lanphere, trumpeters Nat Adderley and Red Rodney, vibraphonist Eddie Costa and Herman on clarinet, a bit of alto and two vocals; Cohn and pianist Nat Pierce wrote most of the colorful and diverse arrangements. By the later session (which has charts by Pierce, Gene Roland, Phil Wilson and Bill Chase), Woody Herman once again was leading an exciting big band of his own. Trombonist Phil Wilson, Duke Ellington's tenor Paul Gonsalves (filling in for the temporarily absent Sal Nistico) and Herman are the solo stars and (as with the first date) the music swings hard and contains its share of surprises. - Scott Yanow / AMG for CD release of The Fourth Herd & the New World of Woody Herman

Jazzland JLP-17
July 31 & Aug 1, 1959

A1 Panatela
A2 Lament For Linda
A3 Misery, Stay Away From My Door
A4 In A Misty Mood
A5 Catty' Corner
A6 The Thirteenth Instant
B1 The Magpie
B2 Blues For Indian Jim
B3 The Devil And The Stoker
B4 The Swing Machine
B5 Summer Nights
B6 Johnny On The Spot

Bass – Milt Hinton
Clarinet – Woody Herman (tracks: A1, A4, A5, B2, B4, B6)
Cornet – Nat Adderley (tracks: A1, A4, A5, B2, B4, B6)
Drums – Don Lamond
Guitar – Barry Galbraith
Piano – Nat Pierce
Reeds – Al Cohn (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5), Dick Hafer (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5), Don Lanphere (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5), Gene Allen (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5), Sam Markowitz* (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5), Zoot Sims (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5)
Tenor Saxophone – Zoot Sims (tracks: A1, A4, A5, B2, B4, B6)
Trombone – Bob Brookmeyer (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5), Frank Rehak (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5), Jim Dahl* (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5), Jimmy Cleveland (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5)
Trumpet – Bernie Glow (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5), Burt Collins (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5), Ernie Royal (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5), Irvin Markowitz* (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5), Red Rodney (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5), Reunald Jones (tracks: A2, A3, A6, B1, B3, B5)
Vibraphone [Vibes] – Eddie Costa (tracks: A1, A4, A5, B2, B4, B6)