Verve Jazz Masters 54 - Woody Herman
Audio CD: March 19, 1996 
Original Release Date: March 19, 1996 
Label: Polygram Records 
Bitrate: 224-320 kbps

THIS BAND was SPECIAL!! The guys in the band knew it was.  The audiences who heard them knew it. . . and back-to-back grammys on their first (2) albums indicated EVERYBODY ELSE knew it, TOO!! This is kind of a "Best Of. . . " album, with tracks from "Woody Herman 1963," "Encore: W/H 1963," "W/H 1964," "Woody's Big Band Goodies" and "The Swinging Herman Herd Recorded Live," all of which were released from 1962-65 on Philips Records and haven't been available for 30 years.  THIS BAND WAS AWESOME!!! (Even trumpet player Paul Fontaine is quoted in the liner notes, descibing the first time Woody heard them--on their FIRST GIG, no less, "The band was FRIGHTENING!!. . . " 
BILL CHASE and GERRY LAMY led the TOTALLY SMOKIN' trumpet section (dubbed "Woody's Stand-up Firing Squad" by at least one pundit), along with PAUL FONTAINE, BILLY HUNT & DUSKO GOYKOVICH.  The band was also anchored by PHIL WILSON on trombone, NAT PIERCE (who hired the guys & rehearsed them before Woody ever heard the band) on piano, SAL NISTICO on tenor, JAKE HANNA on drums and CHUCK ANDRUS (a. k. a.  "Charlie The Arm" ) on bass.  Most of the charts were from Nat Pierce, with Bill Holman, Bob Hammer, Bill Chase and John Coppola also contributing. 

I waited YEARS for this music to be reissued!! Now let's just do ALL of the Philips albums equally this well. . . PLEASE?? The digital remastering and selection were done by MUSICIANS and it SHOWS in the QUALITY!! Do yourself a BIG FAVOR: if you like big-band jazz, or are a Woody Herman fan. . . . . BUY. . THIS. . . ALBUM!!! I would give it a "DOUBLE" FIVE STARS, but they only let me go up to FIVE!!!!! . . . And if you don't have this in YOUR COLLECTION, you really DON'T HAVE a collection!!! ~ C.  Law "Charlile Law!

Verve Jazz Masters 54 - Woody Herman Tracks:
01  Don't Get Around Much Anymore 4:20
02  Sister Sadie 3:30
03  Camel Walk 8:17
04  Body And Soul 5:12
05  Better Get It In Your Soul 5:45
06  Jazz Me Blues 3:04
07  Caldonia 8:07
08  The Good Earth 2:31
09  Deep Purple 3:48
10  Cousins 5:52
11  Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me) 5:02
12  Dr.  Wong's Bag 6:43
13  Dear John C.  5:54