Spoiler : No other bandleader in the history of jazz had the staying power of Woody Herman. From the Band That Plays the Blues, Herman's first ensemble, organized in 1936, through the many "Herds" that came and went from the 1940s to the 1980s, Herman managed to maintain vitality in his big bands as others ran out of steam and dropped out of the race. There were two keys to Herman's success. First, he continuously hired talented young players and arrangers. Second, he refused to lead a nostalgia band that played only hits of the past. The result was an ensemble that was always fresh and exciting, musically sharp. No other bandleader in the history of jazz had the staying power of Woody Herman. From the Band That Plays the Blues, Herman's first ensemble, organized in 1936, through the many "Herds" that came and went from the 1940s to the 1980s & his death in 1987, Herman managed to maintain vitality in his big bands as others ran out of steam and dropped out of the race. There were two keys to Herman's success. First, he continuously hired talented young players and arrangers. Second, he refused to lead a nostalgia band that played only hits of the past. The result was an ensemble that was always fresh and exciting, musically sharp, and-- especially notable from the 1960s on, as rock music was eclipsing jazz--popular.