Maynard Ferguson Tribute with Rare Recordings

I once heard that “Bud” Herseth, the legendary principal trumpet with the Chicago Symphony for 50 or so years, made a remark that he considered Maynard Ferguson to be the greatest brass player of the 20th century.  I am not officially certain that Herseth actually made that remark but it wouldn't surprise me after listening to recordings at the link below.  I grew up listening to Maynard, and in a previous post I mentioned that after listening to him and his band in the early 70s, I wanted to become a professional musician. Who knows how many more musicians were influenced enough by Maynard to pursue music as a career.

Trumpeter Chuck Mangione has been kind enough to upload a number of old and not so old MP3s of Maynard in action.  I just listened to them this afternoon and was absolutely astounded by his trumpet playing.  Some of the most amazing cuts were recorded in the late 50s, and they are real gems.  Notice in particular how strong he sounds in the lower register as well as a ridiculous high register.  This is probably why Herseth made that remark.   Visit the link below and take a few minutes to honor Maynard Ferguson by listening to these recordings.  Thanks for sharing this Chuck!

Maynard Ferguson Tribute

Winner of the Apple Ipod Video

Ok, as promised, I have made a video of the drawing for the Apple Ipod.  My video skills are not the greatest, especially with the lighting, so bear with me on this, they will get better. Chances are you will be able to view the video without any trouble.  You will need Flash installed on your computer.  Most every computer has it already installed, but if you need to download it, get Flash here.