(Frank Tiberi, tenor & soprano sax; Larry McKenna, tenor sax; John Nugent, tenor sax; Mike Brignola, baritone sax; David Berkman, piano; Lynn Seaton, bass; Matt Wilson, drums)
Tenor saxist Frank Triberi is primarily known from his association with Woody Herman. Prior to his long tenure with Woody, Tiberi played with Benny Goodman in the mid-40s, and had a brief stint with Dizzy Gillespie and other East Coasters before working in studio sessions in the 60s. He joined Herman in 1969 and remained with Woody for eighteen years until Woody’s death in 1987. Since that time, Tiberi has led a tribute band to Herman.
Jazzed Media has brought Tiberi into the studio to recreate and update the famed Herman Four Brothers sound featured in Woody’s 2nd Herd. That big band featured the superstar tenor sax stylings of Stan Getz, Herbie Steward, and Zoot Sims coupled with the baritone sax legend, Serge Chaloff. The moniker 4 Brothers was derived from Jimmy Guiffre’s 1947 piece, “Four Brothers” and the Four Brothers sound was a staple of Herman’s charts for decades.
Jazzed Media’s founder, Graham Carter, had the fortune and fortitude to bring together four former Herman Big band members from different decades – 1950s to 1980s – Tiberi, along with McKenna, Nugent, and Brignola. They bring back the Four Brothers sound with a seamless blend. Fortutiously, the rhythm section of Berkman, Seaton, and Wilson all played in the Herman band in the 1980s, so we have an all-Herman band updating the 2nd Herd big band standards.
Starting off with – what else – Giuffre’s Four Brothers, and we’re back in the 40s with cleaner mastered acoustics. Each tenorist has their own say and Brignola provides the needed low register. He adapts Just You Just Me and gets the only sax solo on that tune. Pianist Berkman gets in a few choice choruses as well.
Coltrane’s Central Park West, arranged by Triberi, is sumptuous and the saxes blend wonderfully. Frank’s solo on soprano has a little of the Coltrane edgy tartness to it. Al Cohn’s The Goof and I follows and all the present day Brothers get solo time. Dusko Goykovich’s Herman tribute, Woody’s Whistle, is another feature for Triberi’s tart soprano as well as Matt Wilson’s impeccable cymbal work. I also liked Berkman’s blues lines and Seaton’s bowed bass solo. Buzzogle Boggled is pure Triberi-written, arranged, and solo featured.
Dizzy’s Woody and You, is pure saxophone bliss and the rhythm section each gets in a lick as well. John Nugent’s star turn on 4 Brothers 7, is Four of a Kind and Seaton’s scat bowing is a fun addition. Woody’s Lament, another Al Cohn feature, is done as a sweet ballad, and McKenna’s bluesy tenor is highlighted. The CD is closed with Triberi’s tribute to fellow Berklee School faculty member George Garzone, The Garz and I. It’s followed by an appropriately chosen, Tenor Conclave, a Hank Mobley classic composition. At 8:10, it gives each soloist time to stretch out and showcase their individual talents.
4 Brothers 7 is another feather in the cap of Jazzed Media honcho, Graham Carter. It’s been too long since an updated Four Brothers sax blend has graced our airwaves. Let’s hope that fans of the classic Herman 50s Second Herd stand up and take notice.
Tracklist: Four Brothers, Just You, Just Me, Central Park West, the Goof and I, Woody‚s Whistle, Buzzogle Boggled, Woody ‘n You, Four of a Kind, Woody’s Lament, The Garz and I, Tenor Conclave.
– Jeff Krow
