grossed over a million dollars in a year," Herman now re- calls wistfully. Right at the peak of his success, ltotiever, Hernian was forced to break up the band. His wife, Charlotte, had be- 0 1t'.1110" --ti- come seriously ill. Since `1 oody's wife and family were ,ice more important to him than his career, he cancelled lucra- é I¡ tive bookings, had a big party after the last job, and then . in new home to Hollywood. ii He remained relatively inactive in the music business ,[.... for almost a year. Then, with Charlotte fully recovered, ...., Herman launched a new band. This one, like its pre- W r - decessor, made history from the very first. Actually, it Woody with sax fronts a TV show with an early "herd, including Bob uses to the day-with a founda- Graff and Marty Flax (saxes), (bass), and Sonny Igoe (drums). set the style Hernian present Lion sonority of four saxophones: three tenors and a bari- tone. This was the so-called "Pour Brothers Band" (also called "The Second Herd") which included such outstand- ing jazz artists as , , , , Ernie Royal. Don Lamond, , Herbic Steward, and later, Gene Anunons, Oscar Pettiford. Conti Candoli, , Red Rodney, , Milt , Jackson, , and others. Great as the hand was (their records of Four Brothers, -MT1i The Goof And I, and Keel( And Peachy are still standard fare on jazz radio shows and on jazz fans' record shelves) , it was ,ill-fated. Theater tours, among the most important c "hi/ C bookings for big bands, all but disappeared in the years fol- lowing `Vorld War II. The lucrative summer ballroom cir- h cuit withered too. All of the big bands suffered during this á period, but Herman's band was in an especially tough posi- tion because it was strongly inter -racial in personnel. This necessarily limited its operational area south of the Mason- Dixon Line. With such a limitation, the band simply could not sure ive the lean bookings available at that time. Her- man fought stubbornly, but eventually he had to give up. The Second Herd went by the boards-but not before it had won the Down Beat popularity poll, the second such victory for Hernian. Popping back again, Herman tried a sextet for a short period. Then he organized what is essentially his current unit. This band is more a book of arrangements than a collection of individual stars. The arrangements-by such men as Ralph Burns, Nat fierce, Gene Roland, and Al Cohn-are good swinging jazz pieces with plenty of solo room, but they are simple enough to he appreciated by a general audience. Since the numbers can be picked up with a minimum of rehearsal, Woody can assemble a band twice a year for road tours. The success of this new technique in jan band logistics is evidenced by a solid work record. Like Herman's other bands, his new groups have been an incubator for new talent. Later graduates of the Herman school include saxophonist Bill Perkins, Richie Kamuca, Bill Trujillo, Jack Ninretz, Jerry Coker, Dick Hafer, and Sam Staff: trumpeters Don Engerduist, Dick Collins, and

04 Herman's bands have featured such brilliant jazzmen as Richie Kamuca (tenor sax), Cy Touff (bass 1 ) and trumpeters Johnny Kapalla and Dick Collins.

Youngsters go through their paces for Woody at a 1959 jazz festival in England- Johnny Scott, Art Elifson, Don Rendell, Ronnie Ross.

Again in England, three young men and an oldtimer play for Woody-(I to r) Les Thompson, Burt Wheeler, f veteran Renauld Jones, Nat Adderley. incubator for new talent. Later graduates of the Herman fjti school include saxophonist Bill Perkins, Richie Kamuca,