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Friday, August 25, 2006
So Long, Maynard
Jazz/pop trumpeter Maynard Fersuson died this week at age 78. There's a fine obituary article at the Washington post site at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401836.html
A piece I wrote about Maynard Ferguson and Chuck Mangione on this blog can be found at http://www.onlinefolkfestival.com/folkblog/2005/01/mr-flugel-and-conquistador.html
I only saw Maynard once, at the Cleveland Zoo, sometime in the late 80s while he was doing his Big Bop Nouveau music with the small combo. They were remarkable, but at the time I didn't appreciate it because I was expecting more of the jazz/pop stuff. I wish now I could have appreciated it for what it was.
Addendum: I looked at AMG and amazon.com and, surprisingly to me at least, it does not appear that anyone has done a career-spanning "best of" or "essential" type set for Maynard. I think a three-disk set with one disk covering his work with Stan Kenton and his own big bands in the sixties and early seventies and a second disk covering his "pop" phase form the mid-70s through the '80s and a third disk covering his post-80s return to bop and other more pure jazz forms would be a great project. I'd buy it.
A piece I wrote about Maynard Ferguson and Chuck Mangione on this blog can be found at http://www.onlinefolkfestival.com/folkblog/2005/01/mr-flugel-and-conquistador.html
I only saw Maynard once, at the Cleveland Zoo, sometime in the late 80s while he was doing his Big Bop Nouveau music with the small combo. They were remarkable, but at the time I didn't appreciate it because I was expecting more of the jazz/pop stuff. I wish now I could have appreciated it for what it was.
Addendum: I looked at AMG and amazon.com and, surprisingly to me at least, it does not appear that anyone has done a career-spanning "best of" or "essential" type set for Maynard. I think a three-disk set with one disk covering his work with Stan Kenton and his own big bands in the sixties and early seventies and a second disk covering his "pop" phase form the mid-70s through the '80s and a third disk covering his post-80s return to bop and other more pure jazz forms would be a great project. I'd buy it.
Labels: obituaries
