[Dixielandjazz] Woody Herman documentary reviewed - Hartford Courant

[Robert Ringwald]

Woody Herman documentary reviewed
by Owen McNally
Hartford Courant, December 2, 2012
Any fan of the legendary bandleader Woody Herman is sure to be pleased with receiving
the interview-packed and music-laced DVD documentary tribute, "Woody Herman: Blue
Flame" (Jazzed Media, $18.99).
Right up until the time Herman died at 74 in 1987, he was still grinding it out on
the road, leading, singing, playing clarinet and saxophone with his talent-laden
band, a resilient orchestra that in its remarkable half-century run under his wise
guidance had produced a lode of great music.
A celebration of what would have been Herman's centennial year in 2013, this loving
homage serves rarely seen slices of vintage musical selections, including some rocking
appearances on, of all things, "The Ed Sullivan Show." It presents an array of insightful
interviews with many great Herman alumni, including saxophonist Joe Lovano and vibraphonist
Terry Gibbs, plus commentary from such jazz historians as Dan Morgenstern and Dr.
Herbert Wong.
What the cascade of interviews reveals is Herman's amazing ability to somehow always
get the best out of his cast of often brilliant but sometimes drug-addicted or booze-addled
geniuses who brought great glory to his early, historic Thundering Herds. You get
an insider's point of view, including differing opinions on which of the many evolving
incarnations of the Herman band was the all-time greatest. It sounds like knowledgeable
Yankee fans mulling over which championship lineup was the greatest for the Bronx
Bombers.
There are also tragic notes, including Herman's profound tax woes of nearly $2 million,
with the IRS breathing down his neck as he virtually works himself to death on the
road, perilously touring, relentlessly but necessarily into old age and, ultimately,
sickness unto death.
What's irrepressibly redeeming, however, is Herman's vibrant legacy of joyful orchestral
jazz. That and the road hero's unshakeable certainty that his one true calling in
life was to make great, swinging big band music, no matter how crushing his fiscal
or physical problems could be.
-30-



-Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
Amateur (ham) Radio Operator K6YBV
916/ 806-9551

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