Chubby Jackson, the bassist and head cheerleader for the first two
Woody Herman Herds, always loved big bands. He led a few short-time orchestras but none caught on for long. In 1958 he recorded a big-band album for Everest that is reissued on this CD. The orchestra includes some
Herman alumni plus a few studio musicians. Although there are many worthy solos throughout the set (including a
Don Lamond drum feature on "Loch Lamond" and spots for
Bob Brookmeyer and
Al Cohn), most are brief and the emphasis is on the shouting ensembles. The music is fine but conservative for 1958 and the band did not stay together beyond this and a similar
Woody Herman recording project.