THE GREAT ESCAPE! ♪ *“Anything that is good jazz is a great escape. When you’re involved in playing or listening to great jazz, no one can get to you.” -Woody Herman Vol.1 No. 3 July/August 2007 Presented by www.dixieswing.com Quotable Jazzmen Volume 3: The Woodchopper By Bob Knack© “Some guys dig ditches, I have a band. other than his own; like a Glenn Miller song. “If I see Miller, It’s what I do.” I’ll tell him you requested that”, he’d retort. According to That was Woody Herman, clarinetist, vocalist and Herd trombonist and music director for the band during the bandleader extraordinaire, who fronted his own outfits for eighties, John Fedchock, after a drunk belligerently asked over fifty years. Woody was born May 16, 1913 in for several non-Herd requests one night an exasperated Milwaukee and was a show-biz natural. He was dancing in Woody asked him, “What did you pay to get in here”, and vaudeville at age six, and became a leader for the first time handing him a twenty said “See you later, pal.” when he took over the remnants of the Isham Jones band “Glenn and I were very good friends”, explained in 1936. ‘I got the job because I could sing and dance a Woody in another televised interview, “and he advised me little,” said Woody. Known as “The Band That Plays the about certain players. For instance, once in Boston he had Blues”, their first engagement was at New York’s’ Roseland a lead trumpet player who was bothering him. Ballroom. In the second week another young band, led by Consequently, he called me and said I needed a new Count Basie, joined Woody on the stage of the Roseland trumpet player immediately. So I wound up with this young for a big band battle. man and when he arrived I saw that he had a Herman had an early hit with “Woodchoppers Ball” slight…drinking problem. Glenn knew how to get rid of them and played it for half a century. To keep it fresh for his gracefully.” youthful jazzmen, the chart was updated, so many times, in fact, that audiences didn’t recognize it anymore. Finally, Woody sent a band member out to get a stock arrangement so they could remember how it was supposed to sound. Woody claimed he only made money with one band, the First Herd, in the early forties. The members of this band were extremely enthusiastic while performing. “I’ve never considered myself a bandleader, explained Woody, but I think I’m a pretty good The current Herman Herd directed by Frank Tiberi photo © coach. You need youth to Bob Knack accomplish what I want to One of the bands favorite places to play was the accomplish.” These Herdsmen; Metropole bar in New York in spite of its unwieldy the Candoli brothers, Shorty configuration. The band had to play standing up in a Rogers, Bill Harris, Flip Philips straight line against the wall with the leader standing and the others would jump up between the brass and saxes. As an amused Woody and down, boogie and holler recalled during a 1970’s radio broadcast, “I used to see during each performance. About them, Tommy Dorsey completely sober guys walk in, and during the course of said, “I don’t know how they play but they sure are good one set, about 40 minutes, leave…in a bird cage”. “They dancers.” The most vocal cheerleader on the band was would hustle you down along the bar and you’d go for bassist Chubby Jackson. “He once won the Downbeat poll doubles with a beer chaser and you’d walk out, out of your for yelling,” deadpanned Herman. In actuality, this edition of mind, saying, ‘That’s the greatest band I ever heard’”! the Herd finished No.1 in the Downbeat, Metronome and Near the end of his life, Woody, besieged by Esquire polls and was one of the most musically innovative health and income tax troubles and the loss in 1982 of his of the big band era. beloved wife, Charlotte, summed up his affection for music: Unlike fellow bandleader Artie Shaw, Herman “Anything that is good jazz is a great escape. When you’re seemed to truly enjoy interacting with his audience, even in involved in playing or listening to great jazz, no one can get later years. “I still love music with desperation, he said in a to you.” They once asked him, “What was the greatest 1980’s TV interview, “and this is what I do best. I’d rather record you ever made?” He responded with, “I have been be out here, somewhere in the world making music.” There married to and in love with the same woman for over 46 were exceptions. Example: If someone requested a tune years. Can you match that record?” Are There Any Instrumentals You Never Get Tired of Hearing? By Browser Dick Parker Reprinted from Browser Notes #34 Now there’s a question I’ve never really been never get tired of hearing. asked-regrettably. I say this because I’m sure every thoughtful buff of the big band era has favorites that have not been diminished in appeal. So, if I were to be asked. I’d say sure-how much time have you got? In no particular order of preference permit me to enumerate some of the vocal-less records that, to me-as well as others, I’m sure have always been worth a re-hearing. Artie Shaw: “Frenesi”; recorded in 1940, after the band had added strings, “Nightmare”; my very favorite big band theme song, “Cross Your Heart”; the Gramercy Five on this one with superb Johnny Guarnieri harpsichord solo. Will Bradley: “Strange Cargo”; one of my early 78-RPM purchases-a haunting moody Freddie Slack arrangement, “Celery Stalks at Midnight”; a delight to listen to anytime. Tommy Dorsey: “Opus No. 1; the Browser Dick Parker, doing some serious music quintessential jitter-bug accompaniment-from 1944. research at one of his favorite locales. Photo courtesy Jimmie Lunceford: “Jazznocracy”; fellow of Perry Huntoon Browser Bob Knack once observed, “I’ll bet they have ♪♪♪ to hose down the band after playing that one” Benny Goodman: “Roll ‘Em; a big band boogie. While recorded by the band on many Make your next event a winner… occasions, this is a four-minute plus version from February 15, 1938. The Harry James trumpet solo at the end is electrifying. In his book “BG on the Record”, a bio-discography of Benny Goodman, author Russ Connor refers to this performance saying “it is the ultimate swing recording. No band, in all of recorded jazz ever generated such heart-stopping excitement as this Goodman version of Roll ‘Em.” Glenn Miller: “Keep ‘Em Flying”; a bona fide Jerry Gray arranged flag-waver recorded December 8, 1941, “Measure for Measure”; recorded for the sound track of the 1941 film “Sun Valley Serenade”, it didn’t make it into the final cut. A real rouser just the same. Claude Thornhill: “LaPaloma”; “it’s almost symphonic sounding”-the words of late Chicago DJ The Cubs Dixieland Band has been Dave Garroway. playing the ‘friendly confines’ of Wrigley Field for over a Kay Kyser: “Pushin’ Sand”; many people quarter of a century. Our foot-tapping aggregation consists found it intriguing that Kay’s band could produce such of Trumpet, Trombone (or Tenor Sax), Clarinet, Banjo, and a fine and memorable instrumental. Tuba. We have appeared on TV hundreds of times over the years on many local and nationally broadcast programs. Harry James: “Trumpet Blues”; I was once The band performs at any kind of function, limited more than lucky to get a call through to a Chicago only by your imagination, including picnics, Bar-B-Qs, pool radio station contest line to identify this great one parties, Mardi Gras, conventions and wedding receptions. from 1942. The prize? A weekend for two at a luxury We have even performed at five funerals. We appear in downtown hotel. Cubs uniform unless otherwise specified. Contact Ted at Lionel Hampton: “Central Avenue [email protected] for details. Click here to see the Cubs Breakdown”; featured the Nat “King” Cole trio and band in action! teamed Hamp and Nat’s pianos to create a lively session. These are just some of my favorites that I 3 Do you have your copy yet? Another Great Has Left Us… It is my sad task to let all of you know that one of Ted Butterman’s Neo-Passé Band the greatest lead trumpet players in the history of big bands has passed away. Buddy Childers died after a long illness. Live At The Village Tavern Buddy was a good friend and the reason that I first wanted to become a lead trumpet player. His numerous recordings with the Stan Kenton Orchestra were my real introduction to that world. My Kenton Alumni Band actually did a concert yesterday afternoon at the Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach, California, as part of the LA Jazz Institute "Swing into Spring" weekend of 24 different big band performances. We were the opening "special" concert as a tribute to Stan. The Balboa Pavilion is within a couple of blocks of the old Rendezvous Ballroom, where Stan made his debut on Memorial Day Weekend of 1941. It was a fitting place and time for us to perform. During that performance, we performed "Solo for Buddy," written in the early 50's for Buddy Childers by Bill Holman. Carl © 2001 dixieswing.com Saunders and I did it as a duet.