Customer Reviews

Jazz Icons: Woody Herman Live in '64

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a band! From the opening chart to the last chart-this is a powerhouse band.Great soloists-great charts-the DVD is one of the best bigband dvd's I have in my collection.

I have always been a fan of Woody's bands in the 60's and this DVD from the Jazz Icon 4th series is a must have for anyone who digs more modern big bands.
The audio and video are both amazing considering this was recorded in 1964. The crew did an excellent job remastering this show.
The band is on fire -with fantastic arrangements,great solo players like Sal Nistico and Joe Romano on saxes,the incredible Phil Wilson on trombone, Paul Fontaine on trumpet and section works the is unsurpassed in most big bands.
Chuck Andrus (bass) Nat Pierce (piano) and Jake Hanna (drums)make up one of the best rhythm sections ever.
Add Bill Chase leading the trumpet section and you've got a true winner.
Many thanks to the team @ Jazz Icons for releasing such great jazz stuff!

This band was FANTASTIC! All through high school I studied this band and Jake Hanna's drumming. It is fire-breathing stuff and makes you come right out of your seat! It reminds me of how good jazz players were in those days.

I am thrilled that Jazz Icons did this so that we can relive this band, both audibly and now visually! Thanks! It is an iconic performance!

That says it all. If you are thinking about it, buy it. If you are not thinking about it, think about it and then buy it.

This is an excellent DVD of the 1964 band in a live setting. However, Bill Chase had almost no appearance here. Henry Southall was obviously reigned in. This was an excellent DVD, but it was nowhere near the actual performance that I witnessed in Wichita, Ks. in 1964. I can never get enough of Sal Nistico, Bill Chase, Phil Wilson, Henry Southall, Nat Pierce, Jake Hanna, Chuck Andras and, of course, Woody.

40's Swing bands had been the first flame of rocking youth, but by Beatlemania they were in danger of seeming like fogey music. Enter a wild Woody Herman with something to prove!

Startlingly, Herman comes out like a dervish with zeal to spare, rallying his 12-man horn army (!) into a breakneck frenzy that never lets up. Pushing 50, he looks like he wants to push age over a cliff, laughing. It's as if he were saying, 'Oh, you want energy, how about this?!' Fast as Techno and far more dynamic, this music scorches from start to finish. His crack team perfectly melds Swing and Bebop, with generous spotlights given to each player, while Herman remains the soulful fun at the hurricane's heart. Pianist and arranger Ned Pierce drives a team and repertoire as finely drilled as a gemstone, with a fierce rhythm section at his side. And the cavalcade of impressive horn solos is beyond description.

Fans of Fred Wesley & Maceo Parker, Tower of Power, Fela, Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers, and Ozomotli should perk their ears here. Even the liner notes by veteran Steve Voce are as incisive and fun as the disc. Grab your breath and hold on!

Amazon provided great service as usual---speedy delivery and great product. A real pleasure doing business with this company! They have a wonderful selection of jazz which is all I order. Great prices too.
Thanks Amazon!!!!!!

Richard Bruton