One of my greatest thrills was sitting in the first row of a jam-packed Carnegie Hall on the evening of November 20, 1976 to help honor Woody Herman on the occasion of his 40th anniversary as a bandleader. It was a night for tenor freaks. Along with Joe Lovano from Woody’s then New Thundering Herd, there were featured spots for Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Flip Phillips and Jimmy Giuffre. Everyone excelled. But when Getz limned “Early Autumn,” one could hear a pin drop. Woody always ran “a players’ band.” Thus, “Caldonia” with its extended parade of soloists, was a perfect closer. Woody lives!
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