Customer Reviews

Thundering Herd

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had this recording on LP 25 years ago and am going to buy the CD. The arrangement of Come Saturday Morning is a piece of creative genius. The accompaniment is lifted from Maurice Ravel's orchestral masterpiece, Daphis et Chloe. It's a crazy idea, but is pulled off beautifully. Play it for your classical music-lover friends and watch their reactions.

I love this album for the Frank Zappa tune alone. Very dense, complex, and NOTHING at all like the original. "Blues For Poland" and "Lazy Bird" are also worth the price of admission. Tony Klatka and Bill Stapleton are two amazing trumpeters/arrangers who have been sadly overlooked.

Get the "Feelin' So Blue" album for four more tracks that complete this recording's sessions.

I don't know why anyone remembers '70s music fondly. It seemed as if things were going down hill across all styles, and jazz was no exception. There were a few things out there that made the grade, and this delightful Woody Herman album is certainly one of them. What is remarkable here is that, without exception, each tune holds up after all this time. Compared to what the other big bands were doing in 1974 (Duke Ellington died that year, Maynard Ferguson was cranking out album after album of dreadful funk-based tunes, much of Buddy Rich's new material was lacking and he was about to come off the road for a few years, Stan Kenton and Count Basie stuck pretty close to their respective styles but recorded little), "Thundering Herd" is truly special. Woody was always an innovator in every era in which he led a band. He just instinctively knew what was good, and he hired the top musicians and arrangers and gave them free reign to make it happen.

Other reviewers have mentioned individual arrangements on the album, so I don't need to repeat their comments. Except, check out "Come Saturday Morning." The original was a nothing pop ballad, so I wasn't expecting much. This arrangement, however, is about as lush and beautiful as it gets without being sappy. Well, not overly sappy, anyway.

Like all of the big bands in the '70's, Woody had his share of hit-and-miss material. Not on this album. Buy it! Enjoy it!

The picture on the album cover underscores the fact that this big band was Woody Herman's Team! And everyone contributed to this stellar outing.

I own the original LP, but revisiting the music on CD made me realize how great a bandleader Herman was. Every chart is stellar, outstanding ensemble and solo work, and a beautiful sounding recording. Although Herman started leading bands at the tail end of the Big Band Era (1940s), this 70s recording is crisp and modern featuring a good mix of modern jazz, standards and rockers. Zappa! Coltrane! There are great solos here by Gregory Herbert, Frank Tiberi, Bill Stapleton, Tony Klatka, a great rhythm section, and excellent lead trumpet by Dave Stahl. Even Bassoon (Tiberi???) And of course Woody had long used his soprano sax to good effect on the rockers. He definately had something to say on that soprano when things turned modern!

This band swung as hard as it rocked. It all came together on this one.

I agree with another reviewer: Corazon totally rocks. A simple tune, building slowly until h*#l breaks loose and Woody's soprano takes over.

This is what 70s big band music was about. You'll love it!

From Carole King to Michele LeGrand to Frank Zappa, this album typifies Woody's wonderful insight that always kept his bands fresh and on the "edge" of American popular music. There are great solo performances and the typical superb ensemble-playing, as well as Woody's legendary and insightful choice of charts for the band to play (check Tony Klaka's rompin'-stompin' "Blues for Poland"! Written during one of the band's encore european tours, it builds into such an exciting finish I had to run out and buy the arrangement for my OWN band!)

You won't find the 5,002nd rendition of "Woodchopper's Ball" here, but the "Old Man" knew that to keep the kids on the band interested night after night, he had to keep the music fresh! The enthusiasm with which they always responded is delightfully obvious on this jewel! Another Herman classic, kudos go to Fantasy/Milestone for making the music available to generations who never got to thrill to 16 men "blowing the drinks off the customers' tables." (I only wish Phillips/Mercury had the same appreciation for the Herman aggregation who won 3 Grammy's before this group in the mid-sixties, but hasn't been heard in 37 years). If you are (or even THINK you are) a Woody Herman fan, BUY this, and ENJOY !

The ballads on this CD are terrific! Come Saturday Morning, featuring the young tenor saxophonist Gregory Herbert is played like an Anthem. Gregory sings through his instrument all the way. And the tribute to John Coltrane on Naima featuring Frank Tiberi is superb. Great music! Woody Herman was a national treasure and the Thundering Herd was really exciting. I heard them live twice. Listen to this and relish.

This is possibly the apex of Big Band Jazz. Woody should be regarded as a national treasure. Listen and you will know why. Come Saturday Morning is played almost as an Anthem by the great Tenor Saxophonist Gregery Herbert. Listen to him to learn how to sing on your instrument. And hear their great tribute to John Coltrane on Naima. Look no further. This is the best there is!

This is a magnificent album. The compositions are marvelous. The band swings outrageously. I saw this band several times, and this recording is true to the glory that was there. Buy it!

There are two different Woody Herman CD's being reviewed here. One of the CD's is distributed by CSI and contains the following songs: 1. Swing Low Sweet Clarinet 2. I Got It Bad 3. Fan It 4. Apple Honey 5. There'll Be Some Changes Made 6. Stardust 7. Northwest Passage 8. The Good Earth 9. Baby I need You 10. Half Past Jumping Time. "Woody Herman and the Thundering Herd" is a 35 minute long early live recording (no information comes with the CD) and, although the music is quite good, the recording itself is of inferior quality and hard to listen to. The cover for this CD is gray-pink with a picture of Woody (clarinet in hand) in the center and pink and blue text. I would rate this two stars for the poor sound quality and the lack of any information pertaining to the play date, musicians, etc.

The other CD being reviewed here is "Woody Herman: Thundering Herd." This is a high quality studio recording distributed by Ojc (or Fantasy) and recorded in 1974. It is 38.22 minutes long and contains the following songs: 1. Lazy Bird 2. Blues for Poland 3. What are you doing the Rest of Your Life 4. America Drinks and Goes Home 5. Anima 6. Corazon 7. Come Saturday Morning 8. Bass Folk Song. This is the one containing the Frank Zappa tune some here have alluded to in their reviews. The cover shows a background of green grass with Woody (football in hand) being carried by his band in Thundering Herd sweatshirts. This is an incredible Woody Herman 70's-era recording and I would rate it 5 stars.

Because Amazon has connected the two CD's with one set of reviews, I ordered the wrong CD. Don't you do the same!

For all trumpeters out there, get this one! Dave Stahl, who plays lead trumpet on this album is spectacular.