Woody Herman & His Orchestra: 1956 (2000)

About this title: Woody Herman's Third Herd was in its later years when it appeared at the Lagoon in Salt Lake City in July 1956. This two-CD set of previously unreleased material features the Herd performing live during a two-day period. At the time, the key soloists included trombonist Bill Harris (a veteran of the First and Second Herds); trumpeter Dick Collins; Richie Kamuca, Arno Marsha, and Bob Hardaway on tenors; pianist Vince Guaraldi; and vibraphonist Victor Feldman. Playing arrangements by Nat Pierce, Manny Albam, Ralph Burns, and Neal Hefti, this was a swinging (if greatly underrated and largely ... read more

Tracks:

1. Blue Flame [Noble]
2. The Preacher [Silver]
3. Darn That Dream [DeLange/VanHeusen]
4. Bijou [Burns]
5. These Foolish Things [Link/Strachey/Marve]
6. Opus de Funk [Silver]
7. Buttercup
8. For All We Know [Coots/Lewis]
9. Try to Forget [Harbach/Kern]
10. After Theatre Jump [Wells]
11. Trouble in Mind [Jones]
12. Autobahn Blues [Burns]
13. Captain Ahab [Albam]
14. Baby Shoes
15. Love Is Here to Stay [Gershwin/Gershwin]
16. Country Cousin [Coppola]
17. Early Autumn [Burns/Herman/Mercer]
18. Stars Fell on Alabama [Parish/Perkins]
19. When Lights Are Low [Carter]
20. The Girl Upstairs [Newman/Cahn]
21. Blue Flame [Noble]
22. Blue Flame [Noble]
23. Buck Dance [Herman/Pierce]
24. Midnight Sun [Burke/Hampton/Merce]
25. Woodchopper's Ball [Bishop/Herman]
26. Four Brothers [Giuffre]
27. Apple Honey [Herman]
28. Ballad Medley: Ill Wind/Chez Moi [Koehler/Misraki/Arl]
29. Phineas in Vienna
30. Pinetop's Blues [Smith]
31. Imagination [VanHeusen/Burke]
32. Stardust [Carmichael/Parish]
33. Wildroot [Herman/Hefti]
34. Misty Morning [Burns]
35. Starlight Souvenirs [Connelly/Llda/Shapi]
36. Skinned Again [Williams/Dexter]
37. Pimlico [Burns]
38. I Want a Little Girl [VonTilzer/Dillon]
39. Square Circle [Rogers/Cavanaugh]
40. Sleepy Serenade [Singer/Greene]
41. Blue Flame [Noble]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.