Woody Herman - King Cobra (1975)

As the years passed and Woody Herman continued to age, his orchestra's music stayed young and contemporary. Never willing to have a mere nostalgia band, he continued looking ahead for new music without lowering his standards. On this LP from 1975, the big band performs an excellent version of Chick Corea's "Spain," explores material by Tom Scott and Stevie Wonder and sounds fine on "Come Rain or Come Shine." Herman's vocal on "Jazzman" does not come off so well but occasional misfires are excused when one considers how many chances he took during his productive career