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Editorial Reviews
Phil Woods & The Los Angeles Jazz Orchestra perform the great Woody Herman Band Second Herd Bebop charts from the late 1940’s. The Los Angeles Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of trumpeter Ron Stout, is joined by alto sax legend Phil Woods and a host of LA’s greatest jazz musicians including Ross Tompkins, Carl Saunders, Scott Whitfield, Andy Martin, Jerry Pinter, Kim Richmond and Joel Hamilton.
“The opening moments of “Keen and Peachy” command instant excitement, quickly revealing the imprint of Woody Herman’s explosive big bands. In the case of this “live” recording, the focus is on the spirit and direction of his remarkable “Second Herd”, a sizzling band soaked in the vanguard of bebop inspired by gate breakers Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, and Max Roach.
Considering the engaging music the Second Herd represented and sadly its short list of studio recordings, it is notable that at long last its seldom heard/unheard music is embodied in a CD. Consequently, Ken (Poston) judiciously assembled the Los Angeles Jazz Orchestra under the capable leadership of trumpeter Ron Stout who as a Herdsman from 1984-1990 has answered promptly many a call to participate in performances and activities connected with Woody Herman.
Phil Woods’ performance on this CD reflects his status as a celebrated jazz soloist who is an unrivaled alto saxophonist. His solos are models of surprise and marvel of configuration. He is as fully equipped as any musician can possibly be, possessing acute ears, nimble fingering, a distinctive sound and an inexhaustible repertoire of songs he taps to lace his story telling.
And the audience had a super time because the band was groovin’. Everyone had a ball swinging! The “Unheard Herd” has, indeed, been heard.”
Dr. Herb Wong- Past President, International Association for Jazz Education
Alumnus, KJAZ Radio- San Francisco, California
“The opening moments of “Keen and Peachy” command instant excitement, quickly revealing the imprint of Woody Herman’s explosive big bands. In the case of this “live” recording, the focus is on the spirit and direction of his remarkable “Second Herd”, a sizzling band soaked in the vanguard of bebop inspired by gate breakers Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, and Max Roach.
Considering the engaging music the Second Herd represented and sadly its short list of studio recordings, it is notable that at long last its seldom heard/unheard music is embodied in a CD. Consequently, Ken (Poston) judiciously assembled the Los Angeles Jazz Orchestra under the capable leadership of trumpeter Ron Stout who as a Herdsman from 1984-1990 has answered promptly many a call to participate in performances and activities connected with Woody Herman.
Phil Woods’ performance on this CD reflects his status as a celebrated jazz soloist who is an unrivaled alto saxophonist. His solos are models of surprise and marvel of configuration. He is as fully equipped as any musician can possibly be, possessing acute ears, nimble fingering, a distinctive sound and an inexhaustible repertoire of songs he taps to lace his story telling.
And the audience had a super time because the band was groovin’. Everyone had a ball swinging! The “Unheard Herd” has, indeed, been heard.”
Dr. Herb Wong- Past President, International Association for Jazz Education
Alumnus, KJAZ Radio- San Francisco, California
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The "Unheard Herd" Must Be Heard,
By
This review is from: Unheard Herd (Audio CD)
CD producer Graham Carter consistently comes up with inspired ideas. One of his most recent was to team the premiere alto saxophonist soloist Phil Woods with the crack Los Angeles Jazz Orchestra playing the bebop charts from Woody Herman's famed Second Herd. Have the band led by Ron Stout, a Herman alumnus with a deep understanding of the Herman sound. Then present the package in concert before an appreciative audience at Ken Poston's 2004 "Springsville" Festival. Top it off by recording the proceedings for Carter's excellent JazzedMedia label (which produced Woods' stunning "Groovin' With Marty Paich" recording from the same venue). If you sense that all the ingredients are here for an inspired jazz recording, you are right.
Woods seems to have found a real comfort level and plays with an inspired sense of creativity in his recent recordings for Jazzed Media. This one is no exception. He sails through these charts with verve and enthusiasm, bursting forth from the ensembles with great joy and vigour in his solos. While Woods always plays at a high level, there is a real treat in hearing him dig into his bebop roots, something producer Carter seems to have perceived. These charts are from the book of Woody's "Second Herd" and some are fairly familiar ("Keen and Peachy"; "More Moon"), while some are more obscure ("Man, Don't Be Ridiculous;" "Yardbird Suite;" and the roaring blues, "Boomsie" which closes the program in fine fashion). The chief arranger is Shorty Rogers, but there are also contributions here by Neal Hefti and Gerry Mulligan. Needless to say, these big band bebop charts swing hard and are full of solo space, not only for Woods, but for the band's other fine soloists, including trombonists Scott Whitfield and Andy Martin, tenor saxophonist Bill Trujillo, reed man Kim Richmond (whose clarinet solo is particularly impressive on the small group version of "We The People Bop") and trumpeters Stout, Bob Summers and Carl Saunders (who also scats on "We the People"). In fact, nearly all the band members get to solo at some point in the one hour program. The big band charts are generally of the straight ahead and shouting variety, but the program is highlighted in the center by a reflective duo version of "My Old Flame" featuring Woods and pianist Ross Tompkins. Along the way, Woods and Stout interject some humorous spoken jazz stories, which add further enjoyment to an already uplifting and heart-warming program. This well-recorded CD is highly recommended to all Phil Woods fans and fans of straight-ahead big band jazz. It's not hard to imagine this one showing up on several best-of-2006 lists.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but...,
By John B. (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Unheard Herd (Audio CD)
The guys who made this record obviously love Woody Herman and Phil Woods - with good reason. Both made jazz history and maintained high standards for many years.
I love 'em both, too - but not this record. Phil, to my sorrow, has lost a step. It's not surprising, due to the passage of time and the depredations of disease. On the Unheard Herd, he seems to depend on bop cliches (his own and others') in his solos, the exception being on "My Old Flame", a duet between Woods and pianist Ross Tompkins. Phil displays his passion and fluency on the ballad. The band is first-rate, well-rehearsed and tight. Shorty Rogers' chart of "More Moon" and the Gerry Mulligan arrangement of "Yardbifd Suite" are excellent. The sidemen solo with vary degrees of effectiveness. But, somehow, "Unheard Herd" falls short of my expectations. Nice, but forgettable. If you want to hear vintage Woods in a big band setting, try any of his recordings with the Quincy Jones band of the early 60's...especially the one recorded llve at Newport.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Can't miss with Phil in a big band setting,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Unheard Herd (Audio CD)
A live performance by a hot band with plenty of good soloists playing great charts - that's enough reason to get this CD even if Phil Woods wasn't on it. But I'm glad he is, because it's always a treat to hear him in a big band setting. I had the pleasure of seeing him perform with the U.S. Air Force Airmen of Note in late 2006, and this recording brings back that experience vividly.
The music in this set swings, bops, and roars. The only time it slows down is for the powerful interpretation of the ballad "My Old Flame" as only Phil could do it (accompanied just by piano). Musically, the only thing I didn't like on the album was trumpeter Carl Saunders' scat singing on "We The People Bop." Generally, I like scat singing, but this one is done in a style I call spit-in-your-face scat - suffice it to say that this guy is no Jon Hendricks. Fortunately, this track features some good solos, including some nice clarinet work by Kim Richmond. The CD includes some talking passages, both song introductions and storytelling. The good news is that two of the segments are set aside in their own tracks, so you don't have to include them on your iPod if you just want the music. The bad news is that there are three more segments that are not set apart from the music tracks. They're only a minute or so each, but they're song introductions that are tacked onto the end of the previous track, which I've always found inappropriate. This can be annoying to random-play listeners who are stuck with hearing long introductions to tunes that will not follow. Despite these minor quibbles, this is an enjoyable album, a good addition to any collection of alto sax and/or big band music.
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