The magic of a descriptive and well-turned phrase may frequently become an historic cornerstone on which posterity may base comparisons and relate values in examining sequential events. In the realm of big band jazz, George Simon's sobriquet 'The Herd' has become synonymous with Woody Herman and the full-blown, uninhibited creativity which he has brought to contemporary music. This edition of Herman marks the debut of the Fourth Herd on records and another milestone in the impressive history of its dedicated leader. Each of three previous 'herds' has contributed to the swinging drive heard on these sides and SESAC is proud to be part of the unveiling of the fourth. The formula for Woody's successful bands seems comparatively simple. By attracting the finest playing and arranging talent to his forge, Woody pre-heats the elements with his undiminished enthusiasm for jazz and fuses the components into a free-wheeling entity which has virtually a limitless capacity for making music. Another characteristic of Woody Herman's jazz philosophy is the band-within-a-band which is promulgated here in a manner which permits the small group to bask in the inspirational warmth of the big band. Half of the tunes recorded here were scored accordingly on charts contributed by al Cohn, George Roumanis and Nat Pierce, and the octet members include Zoot Sims, Nat Adderley, Eddie Costa, Woody Herman, Barry Galbraith, Milt Hinton, Nat Pierce and Don Lamond. Shallow excitement and faltering enthusiasm often mark the introduction of a new and untried musical aggregation. But, when Woody Herman announces the arrival of the 'Fourth Herd' its orbit around a respectful jazz world is virtually assured.