Always eager to reach contemporary audiences without compromising his values, Woody Herman saw to it that his repertoire included interpretations of material carefully chosen from the pop charts. In 1972, such choices were still possible, and The Raven Speaks presents Tony Klatka’s arrangement of “Watermelon Man,” Bill Stapleton’s of “It’s Too Late,” and Alan Broadbent’s of “Summer of ’42.” The band incorporated a demon trumpet section led by Al Porcino, the drumming of Joe LaBarbera, and tenor sax solos by the rising star Gregory Herbert and by Frank Tiberi, who was to take over the band following the leader’s death 15 years later. Herman himself solos brilliantly on clarinet and soprano sax.