Four Brothers (jazz standard)

Four Brothers is a jazz composition by Jimmy Giuffre from 1947, which later also received a text from Jon Hendricks.

The topic has presented 32 measures in the form AABA and is in fast pace. The instrumental composition connects the eighth note swing of bebop and cool jazz with the sound of the harmony of the swing. The piece Four Brothers was first played by Woody Herman Orchestra and was a feature for the brass section of three tenor saxophones and baritone sax the band (whose saxophone set consisted regularly of two alto, two tenor and baritone saxophone, and whose second alto switched to tenor ), with an arrangement that allowed each brother a solo and ended in a chorus of the saxophone section.

The song was so characteristic of the sound of the Second Herd Woody Herman, that this formation was also named the Four Brothers Band. The title also refers to the four musicians who play it in the original version: Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Herbie Steward, and Serge Chaloff with Herman ( and was occasionally applied to later saxophone sections of the Herman band). All four played the song with a slight vibrato sound in the style of Lester Young in the Count Basie Orchestra; Stan Getz had with " Four Bothers " great success just before the start of his solo career.

Other recordings of the title exist from Manhattan Transfer, Jimmy Giuffre of 3, Anita O'Day and Art Pepper. Jon Hendricks took with the later vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks and Ross ( with Dave Lambert and Annie Ross, which at that time but not so called) on the album Sing a Song of Basie a sung version.