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  1. LIPSHTICK

    • Mel Hill
    • 26 Sep 06, 04:10 PM

    When Maynard Ferguson died I was one of what must have been hundreds of radio presenters who paid tribute to his remarkable abilities and considerable achievements. His approach to band-lelding had been consistently adventurous and his playing routinely displayed a range, power and endurance that were truly awe-inspiring. For a middle register hornman like me - whose range peters out after high C - the effect of his beligerantly intimidating displays was almost emasculating but, fortunately, I was always rescued by the small voice reminding me that size isn't everything.
    Duke Ellington valued Cat Anderson for his blazing section work and for the occasional stratespheric feature but that's not to say that he treasured him more than the likes of Shorty Baker or Ray Nance. Chet Baker was a man who played in a whisper and usually stayed within the compass of a couple of octaves but a glance at the CD racks suggests that his music still gets through to an audience of millions. "Kind Of Blue" doesn't boast any thrillingly transgressive trips beyond the trumpet's accepted upper limit but SO WHAT?
    My point, of course, is that athleticism and creativity are not the same thing. You could certainly argue that Maynard was blessed with both and there, I think, I'll hand the discussion over to you.

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  1. 1.

    Please do a segment on Poncho Sanchez. Or if you want to, I would not mind doing it.

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  2. 2.
    • At 09:50 AM on 27 Sep 2006,
    • peter marsh wrote:

    nice point Mel, and one often forgotten judging from some of the jam sessions I've been at!

    btw, Maynard Ferguson is the subject of Jazz Legends on Friday 6th October, 4pm, Radio 3.

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    It's a shame that Maynard was type-cast as a high-note trumpet player. Now, no one has ever had the fat sound, control, and lyricism in the upper register Maynard had-unlike Cat Anderson, who squealed out high notes, Maynard played them with a rich beauty.

    But Maynard was a complete player. He was a strong jazz soloist, on a variety of horns; a gorgeous ballad player; and someone who could play a middle register melody with a simple elegance that many trumpeters couldn't hope to match.

    As to his bandleading, he was able to keep strong big bands on the road in a era less than friendly to such music. He molded young players into better players and writers, and is a nearly universally beloved figure among those who have known him.

    And the list of players who have come through his bands-Don Ellis, Slide Hampton, Joe Zawinul, Jaki Byard, and dozens of other All Stars-speaks of the high quality of the vast bulk of his bands and albums.

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  4. 4.
    • At 02:12 PM on 08 Nov 2006,
    • sohail says hi wrote:

    music lesson got bored hi!!!!!!!

    i love u

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  5. 5.
    • At 02:31 PM on 21 Nov 2006,
    • Richard Jessen wrote:

    Reading both the chief article, then another one just as long, reminded me about many of Maynard Ferguson's abilities.
    I attended one evening in the middle 1990's which was amped almost to the point of caving in the walls of the venue. A friend of mine (who was in attendance) told me that he was at a MF concert where the sound level was so loud that it would have brought one to their knees!
    Getting away from the sound level, there was a drive and aggressiveness in Ferguson's playing but also great beauty, especially when he would ring out notes extending from high C upwards. The fact that Ferguson even gave a master class to small-town high school kids speaks volumes for the man's committment to music and to future generations of jazz musicians. His was a rare blend of technique and high musicianship. He will be sorely missed.

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  6. 6.
    • At 11:12 PM on 23 Nov 2006,
    • Peter Astwick wrote:

    Mel's article re Maynard was excellent,as were the programmeashe did about the man.
    I was very fortunate to have seen and heard Maynards British band around the Manchester area in the 1960/70s as well as more recently at The Wigan Jazz Festivals.
    What a man,what a player,what a loss.
    RIP Mr Ferguson and thanks for all the great memories.Fortunately I have dozens of LPs and CDs to continue listening to the great entertainer

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