Maynard Ferguson

Maynard Ferguson - jazz legend, internationally famous big band leader was one of the world's great trumpet and brass instrument players, was in his fourth decade as a leader with a constantly changing band. Maynard Ferguson was always experimenting on the edge of what's happening and approaches his music as a constant adventure.

Maynard Ferguson had his own jazz and dance band at 16. All the players were twice his age except his brother, Percy. By 1948, Maynard had made his debut in the U.S. in Boyd Raeburn's band and the first of three major career periods had begun. In the 50's, he played with Charlie Barnett and Jimmy Dorsey dazzling the jazz world with his high trumpet blasts in the Stan Kenton band. After Kenton, for the next three, he was first-call studio trumpeter and recorded film soundtracks for Paramount including The Ten Commandments. Guesting with symphony conductor Leonard Bernstein in 1955, Maynard Ferguson performed the "Titans" by William Russo, with the New York Philharmonic.

The recording of "Gonna Fly Now" from Rocky catapulted Maynard into "Pop" popularity with a top 10 single, a gold album, and one of his three Grammy nominations in 1978. Maynard accomplished what no other jazz artist had. Says critic, Leonard Feather in a Los Angeles Times article: "Conquistador earned Ferguson a unique place in the big band world; he alone was able to crack the pop charts."