Loose Cuts
Sabre Dance
Woody Herman And His Orchestra
- Composer
- Khachaturian
- Released
- 1948
- Label
- Columbia
- Forces
- big band
- Catalogue
- 38102
America went briefly Khachaturian-mad in 1948, when competing versions of “Sabre Dance” crowded the radio and Newsweek dubbed it the composer’s year. Ralph Burns’s chart for Woody Herman’s Second Herd was the fiercest of the dance-band contenders, climbing to No. 3 among the records most played by disc jockeys.
Hear both
The classical side carries the source work this cut came from. The jazz side carries the cut itself. Each player holds what is available, and the two need not match.
The originalsKhachaturian: Gayane, Sabre Dance
Jazzed upSabre Dance
Open track in Spotify
Spotify’s player is here for convenience; the cut remains listed below for everyone.
The cut
The classical-derived cut from this record, with its source work.
- Sabre DanceKhachaturian: Gayane, Sabre Dance