Short Video of 80th Birthday Tribute Concert Rehearsal May 9, 2008
Maynard fan Bob Gould shot some great video and still photos of the Maynard Ferguson Alumni Band's 80th Birthday Tribute Concert rehearsal on Saturday, May 3. He edited together some of the video and still shots to make this compilation.
University of Illinois Summer Jazz Festival to Feature Maynard Ferguson Music May 8, 2008
The University of Illinois Summer Jazz Festival (located on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana, IL) will feature Maynard Ferguson music on two consecutive nights. They're gathering an impressive lineup of MF alumni including Denis DiBlasio, Walter White, Jim Rupp, Tom Garling, Chip Stephens, and Chip McNeill. An evening of Big Bop Nouveau music is planned, along with an evening of MF hits. More details can be found on the concerts page.
Ferguson Family Selling the "Maynard Ferguson Collection" May 7, 2008
The Ferguson family is looking for a buyer interested
in purchasing the Ferguson Collection. This includes
horns, mouthpieces, MF's music library, clothing,
books, awards, and more. You can view this incredible
collection at themaynardfergusoncollection.com.
WCSK Radio Planning 10-Hour
MF Marathon April 25, 2008
WCSK, based in Kingsport, TN is celebrating what
would've been Maynard's 80th Birthday (May 4) by giving
him a 10-hour tribute on the following day, May 5.
If you live in the area, you can tune in, or anyone
in the world can listen online. Their message:
90.3 FM WCSK Radio in Kingsport, TN will recognize
Maynard Ferguson’s 80th birthday with a “Boss’
Day 10-hour tribute”. This Maynard Ferguson special
will take place Monday, May 5th, beginning at 5:00am
(EDT) and will continue through 3:00pm. Special thanks
to Pete Lodal for supplying his extensive Maynard
Ferguson collection. WCSK RADIO is owned and operated
by the Kingsport, TN City School system and can be
heard on 90.3 FM throughout the Kingsport, TN area.
For those outside the listening area, you can listen
online: http://kcs.k12k.com/index.pl?id=4159&isa=Category&op=show
For those of you who tried to tune into WCSK last
August during our 24 hour Maynard Marathon but could
not, we have upgraded our software, and can now be
heard though most corporate firewalls. Try us out
again. If you have any questions contact Jeff Hall,
WCSK station manager, at 423-378-2111, or e-mail to
jhall@k12k.com.
It’s the Boss’s day! Let's celebrate!
Alumni Updates April 25, 2008
Jeff Lashway, former MF pianist (and one of MF's
favorites) recently wrote: New Album...errr....I mean CD!
Yeah, I know...I'm hopelessly out of date. I STILL
think "album" sounds cooler than "CD".
Anyway....we're in the later stages of doing a recording
that's been in the planning stages since the summer
of 06. In January of '07 I did some things at Stark
Lake Recording in Orlando, Florida. The people involved
in that session included Richard Drexler on bass,
John Jenkins, drums, MF alum Jeff Rupert, tenor, and
John Allred on trombone. (is Allred the finest player
today? I sure couldn't argue the point.) Jeff Rupert
sounds just marvelous on "Quintessence"
and the whole quartet cooks on "One By One".
John and I did several piano/bone duos that will make
it onto the album. There will also be a couple of
solo piano things.
Skip to late March of this year and we finally did
the second session...this time at Manfred Knoops GREAT
studio in Jersey....it's really one of the HOT studios
for jazz recording now. He has a WONDERFUL Hamburg
Steinway that just SINGS...a great instrument! For
this session I wrote a couple of tunes as well as
did some arrangements for 3 horns and rhythm. Pulling
from the awesome NYC pool of players, the session
features Frank Basile on Bari (Vanguard Band...Michael
Buble), John Allred once again...and Jim Rotondi (One
for All, Eric Alexander) on trumpet...what a great
player! The rhythm session includes Todd Coolman on
bass (Marion McPartland, James Moody) and, of course,
the truly astonishing Vinnie Colaiuta (virtually EVERYONE)
on drums. I played with Vinnie years ago and it was
just a total BLAST to have this musical (and otherwise)
reunion. It's no wonder he's commonly considered the
finest drummer today. His fans will LOVE this album....they
will hear him in settings he seldom gets to play in.
Highlights of this session include my Afro Cuban arrangement
of Sonny Rollin's "Airegin" and a great
original by Producer Scott Elias called "SweetBop".
Finally, next week we conclude recording in Nashville
with singer Jimmy Hall. Jimmy has been the MD for
Hank Williams for some time now and was the voice
of Wet Willie. He has a wonderful "Blue Eyed
Soul" kind of thing going on that will be great
on the things we have planned. We have a swinging
arrangement of "Down Here on the Ground"
for him......as well as a kind of suite of music having
to do with New Orleans (where I lived for 5 years
and still consider my second home).
Then it's back to Orlando for mixing/mastering, etc.
It's been a very exciting project and I am anxious
to hear the finished product. I think it's going to
be good...real good (and I'm not usually one to say
that!).
I'll update progress as we go along. The albu....err......CD....should
be out later this summer!
Thanks for reading....talk to y'all later!
Jeff
Alumni Updates April 10, 2008
Reggie Watkins, Denis Diblasio, Jeff Lashway,
Dave Throckmorton, Matt Parker Several former Maynard band members will be playing
in Philadelphia on Thursday, April 24. Click the image
below for details.
MF 80th Birthday Tribute Concert
Just Around the Corner April 9, 2008
We're less than a month away from the Maynard Ferguson 80th Birthday Tribute Concert! May 4, 2008, would've been Maynard's 80th birthday, and Steve Schankman (Maynard's former manager) and Ed Sargent (Maynard's former tour manager) are working hard to produce an exciting concert that will feature 19 of Maynard's alumni. This concert is intended to be a celebration of Maynard's music, and of the joyful way that he lived his life.
Performer's include:
Eric Miyashiro (trumpet, from Tokyo)
Walter White (trumpet, from New York)
Frank Greene (trumpet)
Jon Owens (trumpet)
Scott Engelbright (trumpet)
Thomas Marriott (trumpet)
Reggie Watkins (trombone)
Joe Barati (trombone)
Keith Oshiro (trombone)
Steve Wiest (trombone - and recent Grammy nominee!)
Chip McNeill (sax)
Denis DiBlasio (sax)
Matt Wallace (sax)
Mike Dubaniewicz (sax)
Tim Ries (sax)
Chip Stephens (piano)
Brian Stahurski (bass)
Dave Throckmorton (drums)
The show will take place in the beautiful Touhill Performing Arts Center in St. Louis, Missouri (the same location where the Maynard Ferguson Tribute Concert DVD was filmed), and could be our last chance to celebrate Maynard on this kind of scale. Buy your tickets now!
Alumni Updates March 13, 2008
Steve Wiest, Keith Fiala Both Steve Wiest (trombone) and Keith Fiala (trumpet) will be performing as part of the Temple College Jazz Festival later this month in Temple, Texas. Wiest will be performing with the
Temple College Jazz Ensemble on Friday, March 28. Fiala will be playing lead with the Temple Jazz Orchestra, on Saturday, March 29, featuring special guest Gordon Goodwin. Details here.
Alumni Updates March 11, 2008
Steve Wiest, Stockton Helbing, Brian Mulholland and Ken Edwards Wiest (trombone), Helbing (drums), Mulholland (bass), and Edwards (trumpet), all Maynard alumni, will be performing at the Waseca Jazz Festival in Waseca, MN, this Saturday (March 15). Also, they will be putting on a clinic on Saturday that is free and open to the public. Details are available here.
Alumni Updates March 9, 2008
Gregg
Bissonette Bissonette
(who played drums with Maynard in the 1980s) will
be performing at West Michigan's 10th annual Free
Fun with Drums Concert/Clinic in Muskegon, Michigan,
on March 14. Details can be found at the Grand
Haven Tribune's web site.
Denis
DiBlasio Denis
DiBlasio (who played sax with Maynard in the 1980s
and beyond) will be performing at the Paramount Theatre
in St. Cloud, Minnesota as part of their Hepcat Junction
show on March 13. Details can be found at the Paramount
Theatre's web site.
Reggie
Watkins Reggie
Watkins (who played trombone with Maynard in some
of the final incarnations of Big Bop Nouveau, and
also acted as Maynard's musical director) has been
working with Pittsburgh's Boogie Hustlers band. Details
can be found at the Showcase
web site.
Ferguson 80th birthday celebration
concert May 4, 2008 March 7, 2008
From Contemporary Productions:
On Sunday, May 4, we will celebrate what would have
been Maynard Ferguson's 80th birthday (born on May
4, 1928).
Steve Schankman, producer and personal manager of
Maynard Ferguson, along with Ed Sargent, Maynard's
Tour Manager, will produce an exciting concert featuring
19 of Maynard's alumni. Schankman and Sargent also
produced the tribute concert after Maynard's passing
on August 23, 2006.
The show will open with a special video being created
just for this event, followed by the alumni orchestra
performing songs of the boss's favorites including
Take the A Train, Stella by Starlight, St. Thomas
and the hits including the theme from Rocky (Gonna
Fly Now) and Birdland.
A feature of the second half of the show will open
with the Big Bop Nouveau Band, Maynard's last group,
performing selections from The One and Only, Maynard's
lasting recording.
Featured soloists on trumpet will include, from Tokyo,
Japan, Eric Miyashiro and Walter White from New York
City. Also in the group line up will be Reggie Watkins
on trombone, Chip McNeill and Denis DiBlasio on saxes,
Grammy nominee Steve Wiest on trombone, Tim Ries from
the Rolling Stones on sax and a rhythm section comprised
of Chip Stephens on piano, Brian Stahurski on bass
and Dave Throckmorton on drums.
Matt Keller, host of the MaynardFerguson.com website
will share the MC duties for the program.
This will be a can't miss concert for anyone who's
life was touched by Jazz legend Maynard Ferguson.
StarsTeachMusic, in association with Contemporary
Productions, has assembled 5 online videos by the
great trumpeter Maynard Ferguson in one attractively
priced video package that includes Maynard's insights
on Improvisation, Style, Performance Philosophy, Vibrato,
Pressure, Energy and Stamina. Also included is Maynard's
recollections on his encounters with Miles Davis.
Entertaining, informative and produced in a conversational
style, these videos provide a rare look in to one
of the great innovators of the trumpet.
February's Featured Maynard
Ferguson Store Item: New Vintage Stickers February 10, 2008
This month's featured Maynard Ferguson Store item
is the promotional
"New Vintage" sticker seen below. These
are not reproductions, but are originals from the
1970s that were discovered in Maynard's home office
after his passing. Some may show slight signs of age,
but are still in good condition and make a great Maynard
Ferguson collectable. More details can be found in
the Maynard
Ferguson Store.
Vintage Maynard "Three
Horn" Clip Surfaces on YouTube.com February 10, 2008
YouTube.com has long been a rich source for seekers
of rare Maynard video. However, a video has recently
been posted on YouTube that is more impressive than
most. It's a
1959 clip of Maynard performing the Ernie Wilkins
composition "Great Guns". In this clip,
Maynard solos first on baritone horn, then valve trombone,
and finally on trumpet. The vigor and excitement that
Maynard brings to this performance is something to
behold.
Two live performances of "Great Guns" can
be found on the "Live
at Peacock Lane" albums.
Priceless MF Alumni Stories
Appearing in the Maynard Ferguson Forum February 10, 2008
Former MF sax man Denis Diblasio recently began posting
Maynard Ferguson stories in the MF Forum, and some
others have joined in. They can be read in this alumni
story thread.
Here's a recent story from Denis:
Not all the stories have a start, middle and an
end. Some are just simple but special moments. There
were a lot of those.
We arrived at a gig where Count Basie was playing
the first set and Boss had the second. Basie, Man!
Wow! That's the source. Any band that does any type
of swing chart bows to Basie. There isn't a band around
that doesn't hold Basie in a special place.
We show up backstage at the gig and Basie is already
on the stage but the gig hits in about 25 minutes.
I just happen to be standing next to Boss and he seems
to be looking across the stage for something. His
eyes light up like a little kid and he asks me "Wanna
meet Basie?". Duh!! "Yeah," I said.
So Boss walks backstage to get to the other side of
the stage and I follow him like a puppy. We finally
get next to Basie and he is in his golf cart talking
to someone. I'm watching Boss watching Basie. Boss
was like a little kid, it was really sweet. This is
his idol and he was kind of nervous which made me
allota nervous. So Basie finishes up with this guy
and looks up and sees Boss's face and smiles. "How
are you Bill?" says Boss. Basie slowly reaches
out his hand and pats Boss's slightly protruding belly
and says, "What's this Fox?'. Boss laughed and
they hugged each other. Man, it was sweet. Then Boss
says, "This is is Denny DiBlasio, my bari player".
And Basie says, "You must be a great player to
play with the Fox. I look forward to hearing you play".
Run over my head with a truck!!!! Man, I could have
gone home right there!!! I mean, Basie!! Wow! It doesn't
get heavier than that. He didn't have to say that
and I knew he wasn't going to stick around for our
set, they had to leave. But for Basie to say anything
to a young player.....Whew!
That was basically it. Just meeting Basie and
digging Boss digging Basie and Basie digging Boss
and me just digging all of it. Plus Basie was just
so nice and gracious. The truly great guys are that
way. Anyway, that was a moment I'll always remember.
Nothing heavy but at the same time, very heavy.
-Denis DiBlasio
"The World of Maynard Ferguson"
DVD Cover Art Revealed January 19, 2008
Sleepy
Night Records has revealed the cover design for
their upcoming "The World of Maynard Ferguson"
DVD. Pictured below, the cover shows a dapper looking
Maynard in the 1970s.
Will Hammond, Creator of "Tonality",
Interviewed for Inside Digital Photo Radio January 19, 2008
Maynard fan Will Hammond, known around here for creating
the "Tonality"
print (pictured below) was recently interviewed for
Inside Digital Photo Radio. Will discusses his Photoshop
skills as well as the creation of the Tonality print.
The interview provides an interesting insight into
how the piece came together. You
can listen to the entire interview here.
Toledo Jazz Orchestra and Patrick
Hession to Perform "A Tribute to Maynard Ferguson"
January 10, 2008
According to the Toledo Blade newspaper, the Toledo Jazz Orchestra will be performing a tribute concert in honor of Maynard and will be featuring
former MF lead trumpet player, Patrick Hession. The concert will be held this Saturday, January 12th, at the Franciscan Theatre and Conference Center of Lourdes College. The full
article (which includes ticket information) is available at the Toledo Blade web site.
New Maynard Ferguson DVD, "The
World of Maynard Ferguson" Now Available for
Pre-Order December 16, 2007
Sleepy
Night Records, who brought us the wonderful "Lost
Tapes Volume One" CD earlier this year, is now
releasing "The World of Maynard Ferguson"
on DVD. This DVD contains some amazing footage from
the 1970s, as well as some candid (and uncensored!)
interviews with Maynard's manager in the 1960s and
1970s, Ernie Garside. For a limited time, Sleepy Night
Records will be selling this DVD as a pre-order at
a special price for readers of this web site. Here
is a message from Sleepy Night Records about this
new project:
Pre-order now at the special price for the Maynard
Ferguson web site. Offer will expire on January 11,
2008.
"The World of Maynard Ferguson" DVD will
be released on January 31, 2008. This special was
filmed on 16 millimeter film in 1970 and features
Maynard's British Big Band and some guests from the
music world of that time. This performance is like
a time capsule at the end of the 1960s.
Special features include:
An exclusive interview with Ernie Garside, Maynard's
Manager in the 60s and 70s.
"Memories of Maynard", never before seen
rare footage shot by Gary Gillies over a 15 year period
of various gigs and events.
This DVD is a special limited edition of ONLY 1500
world-wide and will play in DVD players in region
1 (USA/Japan) also Multi region players in UK and
Europe).
$24.99 + $7.95 shipping to anywhere in the world.
Or save on shipping by ordering this DVD along with
the CD "The Lost Tapes Vol 1"
Track from "The One And
Only" CD Nominated for a Grammy December 6, 2007
Steve Wiest's arrangement of "Besame Mucho", which was featured on Maynard's final CD, "The One And Only Maynard Ferguson", was nominated for a Grammy today in the category of
Best Instrumental Arrangement. Steve, who also contributed his considerable trombone skills to the CD, was a fan favorite on Maynard's band in the 80s. The Grammy Awards will be held on February 10, 2008, and the entire list of nominees can be seen at the official Grammy Award web site. MaynardFerguson.com congratulates Steve on his nomination!
Two Rare Maynard Roulette Recordings
Available on One CD October 21, 2007
A European record label has just released a CD titled
"Dancing Sessions", which combines
the 1959-1960 Roulette releases "Plays Jazz
for Dancing" and "Let's Face the
Music and Dance". These albums have traditionally
been favorites of Maynard fans, but difficult to find.
This CD is currently only available as an import,
and can be ordered
from Amazon.com.
