Herman, Woody (1913-1987), was an American bandleader and musician. He ranks with Duke Ellington and Count Basie as one of the three most durable figures in the history of big-band jazz. Herman’s bands made several musicians and composers famous, including saxophonists Stan Getz, Flip Phillips, Zoot Sims, and Al Cohn; trumpet players Sonny Berman and Pete Condoli; trombonist Bill Harris; and composers Neal Hefti and Ralph Burns. Herman also won praise playing alto saxophone and clarinet with his bands.
Herman’s two most influential bands were known as the First Herd (1944-1946) and the Second Herd (1947-1948). Herman was one of the first bandleaders to use elements of a jazz movement of the 1940’s called bebop, or bop, as well as classical music. The Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky composed his Ebony Concerto (1946) for Herman’s band. Herman developed an unusual reed section for the Second Herd consisting of three tenor saxophones and a baritone saxophone. The section was known for its bright, lyrical phrasing in such numbers as “Four Brothers.”
Woodrow Charles Herman was born on May 16, 1913, in Milwaukee. He formed his first big band, known as “The Band That Plays the Blues,” in 1936. It became famous in 1939 with its recording of “Woodchoppers’ Ball.” Herman died on Oct. 29, 1987.
