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Critic's Review
Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Woody Herman's Second Herd, which existed from late 1947 through the end of 1949, recorded relatively little due to the Musicians Union recording strike of 1948. Fortunately they were captured on radio broadcasts on a regular basis during 1948. This superior double CD has many of the group's finest radio performances, quite a few of which were put out previously on Hep LPs and sometimes by such labels as Jazz Anthology and First Heard. A much more boppish band than Herman's First Herd, this group (also known as the Four Brothers Band) featured major soloists in tenors Stan Getz (who had the lion's share of the solo space), Zoot Sims, and Al Cohn, baritonist Serge Chaloff, trumpeter Shorty Rogers, and trombonist Earl Swope, with contributions from lead trumpeter Ernie Royal and a rhythm section driven by drummer Don Lamond. In addition, Herman is in fine form on clarinet and alto and Mary Ann McCall takes a few winning vocals (as does the leader). The first 29 selections are from February-March 1948 while the other numbers are from later in the year when such players as trombonist Bill Harris, vibraphonist Terry Gibbs, and bassist-cheerleader Chubby Jackson made the band even stronger. The repertoire includes new pieces, boppish remakes of First Herd hits, and a few standards. Unlike the First Herd, the Second Herd was not a financial success and mostly avoided playing any current pop material and dance music. They were not quite as outwardly joyous, at least not until First Herd alumnus Harris and Jackson rejoined the band, but the Second Herd was one of Herman's most innovative orchestras, featuring inventive arrangements by Ralph Burns, Al Cohn, and Shorty Rogers. This two-fer adds a great deal to the legacy of this classic big band.
