This month, as we delve into the scrapbook of jazz advocate Randy Richards, we find a series of photos documenting the early years of the Woody Herman Orchestra. It was the beginning of what would be a 50-year stint under the leadership of Herman.

The origin of the band can be traced to the decision of bandleader Isham Jones to retire in 1936, with his band playing its last gig in Memphis, Tenn., in September of 1936. Soon after, six band members -- Woody Herman, Walt Yoder, Joe Bishop, Nick Hupfer, Saxie Mansfield and Clarence Willard -- formed a cooperative band and signed eight more musicians to fill out the band. By late October 1936, the band was playing its first gig, an engagement at Roseland Ballroom in New York City that ran until early May of 1937.

Successful gigs in New Jersey and Boston followed, and the band officially incorporated, naming a Board of Directors which consisted of Herman as president, Bishop and Yoder as first and second vice-presidents, Kermit Simmons as secretary and Neal Reid as treasurer.

The Herman Orchestra soon built a sterling reputation, touring extensively and tallying 53 Top 40 recordings between 1937 and 1952. The band maintained its reputation by constantly evolving, and Herman was known for nurturing young talent that went on to jazz stardom. Sadly, Herman's later years were spent in financial ruin due to misuse of his funds by an unscrupulous manager, and Herman died broke in 1987. These photos, however, recall a happier time when a promising young band was experiencing its first burst of success under the leadership of a jazz clarinetist who became one of the jazz world's most highly respected bandleaders.

February 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag

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