Maynard

I'll introduce my varied tastes, which are many, in this first post. Being the first, I really want to start out with a bang. So I'll start with some obscure quasi-jazz by Maynard Ferguson. Maynard is a trumpeter from Ontario, Canada who actually worked with a young trumpet prodigy named Clifford Brown in his early days. Unfortunately, Maynard strayed from the classic jazz sound and moved into his own version of Jazz-fusion. During this time period many established jazz musicians were experimenting with electronics and different sounds and combo arrangements. Hence the term Fusion. Miles Davis' Bitches Brew was the pinnacle of this movement. Not to be outdone, Maynard decided to fuse his supersonic, stratospheric trumpet playing with....Disco. As a result, Maynard lost all credibility with jazz purists. Always a popular listen for younger trumpet players, Maynard, who has returned to his big band roots, often displays power, range, and hypnotizing lip shakes that make his sound totally unique.

Stan Kenton was known to stretch the limits of trumpet range in his arrangements. "Screamin'" is a classic example.
(click on links for download prompt)

MP3: Screamin' - Stan Kenton ft. Maynard Ferguson
MF has always been at his finest with a big band. This is no exception.

MP3: "The Fly" is a classic example of Maynard's disco/funk fusion years. Can't you just picture John and Ponch riding their CHP bikes?