| Birth: | May 16, 1913 | | Death: | Oct. 29, 1987 | 
Jazz Musician. He was a transitional figure between the early "White Chicago" jazz style popularized by musicians like Bix Beiderbecke, the more commercial Swing era of the World War II era, and the "Cool Jazz" style of the postwar years. After serving early apprenticeships as a reed player with Chicago bandleaders Tom Gerun, Harry Sosnik, Gus Arnheim, and Isham Jones, Herman started his own group in 1936. This ensemble, initially formed of several former Jones sidemen but later including figures like Chubby Jackson, Flip Phillips, and Ralph Burns, would become known as "Herman's Herd" and would have a great deal of commercial success, most notably with the hits "Woodchopper's Ball" and "Blues in the Night." In 1945, Herman would team with composer Igor Stravinsky for the performance of the Russian master's "Ebony Concerto." Herman reformed his group in 1947, calling it the "Second Herd" and structuring his ensemble around a unique "Four Brothers" front line of saxophone players, usually featuring three tenor players and one baritone. The Four Brothers would come to include such future giants as Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, and Gene Ammons. This influential group would disband in 1949, and Herman would continue to lead groups for the next several decades, often with distinctive names like the "Anglo-American Herd" (which included several British Musicians), and the 1960s "Swinging Herd." Though not a great innovator in his later years, Herman did keep up with trends, such as his own use of the soprano saxophone in the late 1960s after John Coltrane's repopularization of the instrument and the use of occasional jazz-rock elements; his groups' work in this period would earn them three Grammy Awards. Though he would rarely tour by the 1980s, he would continue to lead combos in New Orleans and New York until his death in 1987. (bio by: Stuthehistoryguy)
Cause of death: Cardiac arrest
Search Amazon for Woody Herman | | | Burial:
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood
Los Angeles County
California, USA
Plot: Columbarium behind (outside) the Cathedral Mausoleum. Niche 6689, Unit 10 |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Jan 01, 2001
Find A Grave Memorial# 2211 |
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