Woody Herman: Apple Honey

In the mid-1940s, Woody Herman's fire-breathing Thundering Herd was the most exciting big band in jazz. Sparked by the rhythmic high-jinks of Jackson & Tough, the Herd's boisterous "Apple Honey" serves up tasty bites from Flip Phillips's Ben Webster-style tenor, Norvo's vibes and Herman's clarinet. But the core soloist is the decade's most rambunctiously distinctive trombonist. Bill Harris could rustle up a stampede in a mortuary. Woody's rip-roaring ensemble is capped by a spectacular trumpet section led by high-note phenom "Superman" Pete Candoli. If this track doesn't leave you dazed, blinking and gulping for breath, then please report to the mortuary.