Search - Woody Herman :: Thundering Herd

The same wide-open ears that led Woody Herman to Igor Stravinsky, the innovative arrangements of Jimmy Giuffre for the Four Brothers band, and a host of great soloists from Stan Getz to Sal Nistico were still in evidence in 1974 when the veteran bandleader recorded this unusual set of tunes with a young band. Included are two compositions by John Coltrane ("Lazy Bird" and the beautiful ballad "Naima") and, more remarkable still, a vigorous and complex arrangement of Frank Zappa's "America Drinks and Goes Home." Throughout, the band members play with an energy that lets you know they're on the trail of something more than the mere re-creation of others' past glories, and the results succeed within the terms of the Herman tradition. There's nothing patronizing about this stimulating and unusual melding of musical approaches from across the generations. --Stuart Broomer