Woody Herman - Woodchopper's Ball

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Pioneering clarinetist-bandleader Woody Herman was one of a kind. From the '40s to the '80s, his big bands encompassed everything from swing to bebop and beyond. Woodchopper's Ball presents different versions of his "Thundering Herds" from the '70s and '80s. With a down-home and urbane clarinet sound, Herman's versions of the jazz standards "Woodchopper's Ball," "April in Paris," and "Four Brothers" swing in the tradition. Herman's takes on Don Grolnick's "Pools" also highlights his keen ear, which was open to new forms of jazz-fusion. Woody Herman was one of a kind, a musician who looked at musical styles as different modes of expression, not barriers. That trait made him and his music the miracle that it is. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Description

Bring the legendary Woody Herman and his Young Thundering Herd together with Joe Williams, Pete Barbutti, Clark Terry, and The Dukes of Dixieland and the mix is explosive: hot jazz, cool blues, stars overhead and the greatest of Big Band stars on the stage. The Dukes of Dixieland add their New Orleans jazz sound with "Muskrat Ramble;" Pete Barbutti mixes music and comedy. Clark Terry's "Mumbles" is a classic. Bluesman Joe Williams sings "Mind to Ramble" as well as "All of Me." Tracks: Woodchopper's Ball, Pools, Peanut Vendor (Woody Herman and The Young Thundering Herd), Muskrat Ramble (The Dukes of Dixieland), Fourth Trumpet ["No. 14 in the Red Book"] (Pete Barbutti), C.T. Express, Mumbles (Clark Terry), April in Paris: A Tribute to Count Basie (Woody Herman), Mind to Ramble, All of Me (Joe Williams), Fanfare for the Common Man (Woody Herman). 59 minutes.

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