NAT PIERCE, DICK COLLINS, RALPH BURNS & THE HERDSMEN
Play Paris (Fantasy)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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The two albums on this disc, originally released as The Herdsmen Play Paris and The Nat Pierce/Dick Collins Nonet in 1954, feature some of the leading lights in Woody Herman's Thid Herd as leaders in their own large ensemble (as opposed to big band) settings. The three named on the cover are joined by other Herdsmen including Cy Touff, Dick Hafer, Jerry Coker and Jack Nimitz, along with a variety of others in a set of free-wheeling swing explorations.

The title is a bit deceiving, since only the first eight tracks were recorded in Paris, with the remaining cuts coming from a Pierce/Collins Nonet show at San Francisco's Marine's Memorial Auditorium in January, 1954. The S.F. tracks are considerably more straightforward, probably having been performed for a dancing audience, while the presence of some local players on the Paris dates may have spurred the creative reach of those cuts just a bit further. There's nothing outside about any of the tracks, of course, though at its edgier moments the music does at least acknowledge the presence of something called bebop on the scene.

Primarily, though, this is a fine document of the extra-curricular activities of a group of musicians who were associated with what has long been considered one of the most creative groups of the big band era, Woody Herman's Herd. In whichever permutation, the Herd always stood out, and the Third was one of the best. It's a treat to hear these players stretching out on material of their choice and swing fans will be pleased to find this one on the shelves.

Track List:

The Gypsy * Wet Back On The Left Bank * Embarkation * Thanks For You * So What Could Be New? * Just 40 Bars * Palm Cafe * Pot Luck * Drop The Other Shoe * I'll Never Be The Same * Honey Baby * Easy Living * Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now * Some Of These Days * Blue Lester * The King

© 2001 - Shaun Dale