Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though ...

's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served as stepping stones for up-and-coming talent, his versatility on several instruments, and his ability to play in a high register.

Biography

Early life and education

Ferguson was born in

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

(now part of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

), Quebec, Canada. Encouraged by his parents, he started playing piano and violin at the age of four. At nine years old, he heard a cornet for the first time in his local church and asked his parents to buy one for him. When he was thirteen, he soloed with the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

Orchestra. He was heard frequently on the CBC, notably featured on a "Serenade for Trumpet in Jazz" written for him by Morris Davis. He won a scholarship to the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal where he studied from 1943 to 1948 with Bernard Baker. Ferguson dropped out of the High School of Montreal when he was fifteen to pursue a music career, performing in dance bands led by Stan Wood, Roland David, and Johnny Holmes. Although trumpet was his primary instrument, he also performed on other brass and reed instruments. He took over the dance band formed by his saxophonist brother Percy, playing dates in the Montreal area and serving as an opening act for touring bands from Canada and the U.S. During this period, he came to the attention of American bandleaders and began receiving offers to go to the U.S. In 1948, Ferguson moved to the United States, intending to join

's band, but it no longer existed, so Ferguson played with the bands of

Boyd Raeburn Boyd Albert Raeburn (October 27, 1913 – August 2, 1966) was an American jazz bandleader and bass saxophone, bass saxophonist. Career He was born in Faith, South Dakota, United States. Raeburn attended the University of Chicago, where he led a ...

, Jimmy Dorsey, and Charlie Barnet. The Barnet band included Doc Severinsen,

Ray Wetzel Ray Wetzel (September 22, 1924 – August 17, 1951) was an American jazz trumpeter. Critic Scott Yanow described him as "greatly admired by his fellow trumpeters". Career Wetzel played lead trumpet for Woody Herman from 1943 to 1945 and for ...

, Johnny Howell, and

Rolf Ericson Rolf Ericson (August 29, 1922 – June 16, 1997) was a Swedish jazz trumpeter. He also played the flugelhorn. Yanow, Scott. Biography ''AllMusic'' Early career Ericson was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He moved to New York City in 1947 and, in 19 ...

. Ferguson was featured on Barnet's recording of " All The Things You Are" by Jerome Kern. The recording enraged Kern's widow and was withdrawn from sale.

Kenton and Hollywood

In January 1950, Kenton formed the Innovations Orchestra, a 40-piece jazz orchestra with strings. After the folding of the Barnet band, Ferguson was available for the first rehearsal on January 1. One of the Orchestra's recordings was named "Maynard Ferguson," one of a series of pieces named after featured soloists. When Kenton returned to a more practical 19-piece jazz band, Ferguson continued with him at third chair with numerous solo features. Notable recordings from this period that feature Ferguson include "Invention for Guitar and Trumpet", " What's New?", and " The Hot Canary". In 1953, Ferguson left Kenton and spent the next three years as principal trumpet for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. He appeared on 46 soundtracks, including '' The Ten Commandments''. He also played on several other non-Paramount film soundtracks, usually those with jazz scores. Ferguson can clearly be discerned on several soundtracks from the time, including the Martin and Lewis films '' Living It Up'' and '' You're Never Too Young.'' He still recorded jazz, but his Paramount contract prevented him from playing in jazz clubs. This was sometimes circumvented by appearing under aliases such as "Tiger Brown" or "Foxy Corby". Although he enjoyed the steady income, he was unhappy with the lack of live performance opportunities and left Paramount in 1956.

The Birdland Dream Band

Ferguson played with the Pérez Prado Orchestra on the LP ''Havana 3 A.M.'', recorded in February and March 1956. In 1956, he joined the Birdland Dream Band, a 14-piece big band formed by Morris Levy as an "all-star" line-up, to play at Levy's Birdland jazz club in New York City. Although the name "Birdland Dream Band" was short-lived and is represented by only two albums over the course of a year, this band became the core of Ferguson's performing band for the next nine years. The band included Mike Abene, Jaki Byard, Bill Chase, Ronnie Cuber, Frankie Dunlop, Don Ellis, Joe Farrell, Dusko Goykovich, Tony Inzalaco, Rufus Jones, Willie Maiden, Ron McClure, Rob McConnell, Don Menza, Lanny Morgan, Wayne Shorter, and Joe Zawinul. Those who were both arrangers and performers included Herb Geller, Slide Hampton, Bill Holman, and Don Sebesky. In 1959, Ferguson was a guest with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

, performing ''Symphony No. 2 in C "Titans"'' by William Russo. In 1961, Ferguson composed the theme music for the 1961–1962 ABC adventure drama television series '' Straightaway''. His 1961 album '' "Straightaway" Jazz Themes'' contained the music he composed for the series. As big bands declined in popularity and economic viability in the 1960s, Ferguson's band performed less frequently. He began to feel musically stifled and sensed a resistance to change among his American jazz audiences. According to an interview in ''

DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'', he was quoted as saying that if the band did not play "Maria" or "Ole," the fans went home disappointed. He began performing with a sextet before shutting down his big band in 1966.

Millbrook, India, and psychedelics

After leaving his long-time recording contract and the end of his main club gig, Ferguson moved his family to the Hitchcock Estate in Millbrook, New York in November 1963 to live with Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, and their community from Harvard University. He and his wife Flo used LSD,

psilocybin Psilocybin, also known as 4-phosphoryloxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (4-PO-DMT), is a natural product, naturally occurring tryptamine alkaloid and Investigational New Drug, investigational drug found in more than List of psilocybin mushroom ...

and other psychedelic drugs. They lived at Millbrook for about three years, playing clubs and recording several albums. Ferguson was mentioned in '' The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test'', which detailed the psychedelic scene. In 1967, as the Millbrook experiment was ending, Ferguson moved his family to India and taught at the Krishnamurti-based Rishi Valley School near Madras. He was associated with the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning's Boys Brass Band, which he founded and helped teach for several years. While in India, he was influenced by Sathya Sai Baba, whom he considered as his spiritual guru.

England and jazz rock

As a Canadian in England, Ferguson avoided the union's ban on American musicians. In 1969, he moved to Oakley Green, a hamlet on the outskirts of Windsor, near London. He had two houses while he was in the UK, the final one a three-story house by the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

. That same year, Ferguson signed with CBS Records. He started a sixteen- to eighteen-piece big band with British musicians playing jazz rock. The band got attention for its version of " MacArthur Park" by Jim Webb. Ferguson's band made its North American debut in 1971. In 1970 he led the band on ''The Simon Dee Show'' from London Weekend Television.

Return to the U.S.

Ferguson moved to New York City in 1973, then relocated to

Ojai, California Ojai ( ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east– ...

less than two years later. He replaced the British band members with American musicians while reducing membership to twelve: four trumpets, two trombones, three saxophones, and a three-piece rhythm section. Albums from this period include '' M.F. Horn 4&5: Live At Jimmy's'' and ''Chameleon'', recorded in 1973 and 1974 in New York. Ferguson took advantage of the burgeoning jazz education movement by hiring musicians from colleges with jazz programs, such as

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

, North Texas State University and the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

. He performed for young audiences and gave master classes in colleges and high schools. This strategy helped him develop an audience that sustained him for the rest of his career. In 1975, Ferguson began working with Bob James on a series of commercially successful albums with large groups of

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

s, including strings, vocalists, and guest soloists. The first of these albums was '' Primal Scream'', featuring Chick Corea, Mark Colby, Steve Gadd, and Bobby Militello. The second, ''

Conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

'' (1976) yielded a No. 22 pop single, " Gonna Fly Now" from the movie ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent film, independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky (film series), ''Rocky'' franchise and also star ...

'', earning him a gold album. He maintained a hectic touring schedule. The commercial success included adding a guitarist and an additional percussionist to his band's line-up. In mid-1976, Ferguson performed a solo trumpet piece for the closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Montreal, symbolically "blowing out the flame". Ferguson became frustrated with Columbia over the inability to use his working band on albums, and to play jazz songs on them. His contract with Columbia ended after the release of the album ''Hollywood'' (1982), produced by bassist Stanley Clarke. During that time, he recorded an instrumental version of the

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

song " Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"; the song would later be used by

Rede Globo TV Globo (stylized as tvglobo; , ), formerly known as Rede Globo de Televisão (; shortened to Rede Globo) or simply known as Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965 ...

as the theme song of '' Vídeo Show'', which ran on the network between 1983 and 2019. Ferguson recorded three big band albums with smaller labels before forming High Voltage, a fusion septet, in 1986. This smaller ensemble, which featured multi-reed player Denis DiBlasio, gave Ferguson the freedom explore in a less structured format. High Voltage recorded two albums, produced by Jim Exon, his manager and son in law.

Big Bop Nouveau

To mark his 60th birthday in 1988, Maynard Ferguson returned to a large band format and to more mainstream jazz. That then led to the formation of Big Bop Nouveau, a nine-piece band featuring two trumpets, one trombone, three reeds and a three-piece rhythm section which became his standard touring group for the remainder of his career. Later, due to the increasing responsibilities being placed on the trumpet players, the baritone sax position was replaced by a third trumpet player. The band's repertoire included original jazz compositions and modern arrangements of jazz standards, with occasional pieces from his 1970s book and even modified charts from the Birdland Dream Band era; this format proved to be successful with audiences and critics. The band recorded extensively, including albums backing vocalists Diane Schuur and

Michael Feinstein Michael Jay Feinstein (born September 7, 1956) is an American singer, pianist, and music Revivalist artist, revivalist. He is an archivist and interpreter for the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. In 1988, he won a Drama Desk Spec ...

. Big Bop Nouveau toured the world extensively; in 2005 it embarked on a tour of eight months playing an average of two hundred shows a year. The group was tour managed by Memphis legend Ed Sargent, and mixed by audio mogul Mike Freeland. Although in later years Ferguson's playing occasionally lost some of the range and phenomenal accuracy of his youth, he always remained an exciting performer, touring an average of nine months a year with Big Bop Nouveau for the remainder of his life. Ferguson died on August 23, 2006.

Personal life

In 1973, Ferguson settled in

, where he lived to the end of his life. His first marriage was to singer Kay Brown. His marriage to Flo Ferguson (in 1956) lasted until her death on February 27, 2005. Ferguson had four daughters: Kim, Corby, Lisa, and Wilder and a son, Bentley, who predeceased his parents. Kim Ferguson managed Ferguson's career for 15 years in the 1970s and 1980s with husband and producer, Jim Exon. Wilder Ferguson is married to jazz pianist, film composer and former Big Bop Nouveau member Christian Jacob. Lisa Ferguson is a writer and film maker living in Los Angeles. At the time of his death, Ferguson had two granddaughters, Erica and Sandra. Ferguson died as a result of kidney and liver failure, on August 23, 2006, at the Community Memorial Hospital in

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city in and the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States. It is a coastal city located northwest of Los Angeles. The population was 110,763 at the ...

Versatility

Although his principal instrument was the trumpet, Ferguson frequently doubled on other brass instruments, most notably the relatively uncommon valve trombone. Several recording sessions with bandleader Russell Garcia included a four-trombone ensemble in which Ferguson played only valve trombone. Publicity shots and album covers from the 1950s showed Ferguson with his 'quartet' of trumpet, valve trombone, baritone horn, and

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most o ...

. Recordings of the latter two are rare; the French horn vanished in later years, but the baritone horn appeared on the 1974 album '' Chameleon''. He switched to the combination valve/slide Superbone and flugelhorn on all but his last recorded album. Ferguson designed the Firebird and the Superbone. Trumpeter Rajesh Mehta bought this trumpet while living in Amsterdam and played the Firebird from 1998 until 2011 when he had American trumpet maker George Schlub create the Orka-M Naga Phoenix trumpet for him. The Superbone was another hybrid instrument, a trombone with additional valves played with the left hand. Ferguson incorporated Indian instruments and influences in his music. Ferguson was not the first trumpeter to play in the extreme upper register (which had been employed by performers such as Cat Anderson), but he could play high notes with full, rich tone, power, and musicality. In interviews he said that his command of the upper registers was based mostly on breath control, something he discovered in his youth in Montreal. He attributed the longevity of his technique to the spiritual and yoga studies he pursued in India. Ferguson brought charisma to a musical genre that is often seen as cold and cerebral. His obituary in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' stated:

Ferguson lit up thousands of young horn players, most of them boys, with pride and excitement. In a (high school) world often divided between jocks and band nerds, Ferguson crossed over, because he approached his music almost as an athletic event. On stage, he strained, sweated, heaved and roared. He nailed the upper registers like Shaq nailing a dunk or Lawrence Taylor nailing a running back – and the audience reaction was exactly the same: the guttural shout, the leap to their feet, the fists in the air. We cheered Maynard as a gladiator, a combat soldier, a prize fighter, a circus strongman – choose your masculine archetype.

Awards and honors

Ferguson was appointed a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 2003. In 1950, 1951, and 1952, Ferguson won the ''

'' Readers' Poll for best trumpeter. In 1992, he was inducted into the ''

'' Jazz Hall of Fame. Maynard Ferguson plays a special solo trumpet piece as part of the closing ceremonies for the Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, the XXI Olympiad, 1976. In 2000, Ferguson was initiated as a brother of Kappa Kappa Psi at the Gamma Xi Chapter (University of Maryland at College Park). In 2006, he was presented with

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (legally Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha, PMA, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity for men with a special interest ...

music fraternity's Charles E. Lutton Man of Music Award at its national convention in Cleveland, Ohio. He had been initiated as an honorary member of the Fraternity's Xi Chi Chapter at Tennessee Tech University in 1976. The "Maynard Ferguson Institute of Jazz Studies" at Rowan University was created in 2000, the same year Rowan bestowed Ferguson with his only Honorary Doctorate degree. The institute, under direction of Ferguson's friend Denis Diblasio, supports the Rowan Jazz Program in training young jazz musicians. In 2000, he was given an Honorary Doctorate Degree by Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, and created the Maynard Ferguson Institute of Jazz Studies under the direction of Denis DiBlasio in their College of Performing Arts. The Sherman Jazz Museum in Sherman, Texas opened in 2010 and houses the extensive memorabilia of Ferguson's estate. Maynard Ferguson band alumni regrouped for a memorial concert soon after his death, led by trumpeters Wayne Bergeron, Patrick Hession, and Eric Miyashiro.

Discography

As leader

* 1955 – '' Jam Session featuring Maynard Ferguson'' (EmArcy) * 1956 – '' Maynard Ferguson's Hollywood Party'' ( EmArcy) * 1956 – '' Around the Horn with Maynard Ferguson'' (EmArcy) * 1956 – '' Dimensions'' (EmArcy) * 1955 – '' Maynard Ferguson Octet'' (EmArcy) * 1957 – ''Maynard Ferguson and His Birdland Dream Band'' * 1957 – ''The Birdland Dream Band, Vol. 2'' * 1957 – '' Boy with Lots of Brass'' (EmArcy) * 1958 – '' Swingin' My Way Through College'' (Roulette) * 1958 – '' A Message from Newport'' (

Roulette Roulette (named after the French language, French word meaning "little wheel") is a casino game which was likely developed from the Italy, Italian game Biribi. In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various grouping ...

) * 1959 – ''A Message from Birdland'' (Roulette) * 1959 – '' Maynard Ferguson Plays Jazz for Dancing'' (Roulette) * 1960 – '' Newport Suite'' (Roulette) * 1960 – '' Let's Face the Music and Dance'' (Roulette) * 1961 – '' Maynard '61'' (Roulette) * 1961 – '' Double Exposure'' with

Chris Connor Mary Jean Loutsenhizer, known professionally as Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009), was an American jazz singer. Biography Chris Connor was born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri, to Clyde Loutsenhizer and Mabel Sh ...

(

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

) * 1961 – '' "Straightaway" Jazz Themes'' (Roulette) * 1961 – '' Two's Company'' with Chris Connor (Roulette) * 1962 – '' Maynard '62'' (Roulette) * 1962 – '' Si! Si! M.F.'' (Roulette) * 1963 – '' The New Sounds of Maynard Ferguson'' ( Cameo) * 1963 – '' Message from Maynard'' (Roulette) * 1963 – '' Maynard '63'' (Roulette) * 1964 – '' Maynard '64'' (Roulette) * 1964 – '' Come Blow Your Horn'' (Cameo) * 1964 – '' Color Him Wild'' ( Mainstream) – Reissued as ''Dues'' * 1964 – '' The Blues Roar'' (Mainstream) – Reissued as ''Screamin' Blues'' * 1965 – '' The Maynard Ferguson Sextet'' (Mainstream) – Reissued as ''Six By Six'' and as ''Magnitude'' with bonus tracks * 1966 – '' Ridin' High'' ( Enterprise) * 1967 – '' Trumpet Rhapsody'' ( MPS) – Reissued as ''Maynard Ferguson 1969'' * 1968 – ''The Ballad Style of Maynard Ferguson'' (CBS) * 1968 – ''Maynard and Gustav'' ( Supraphon) * 1970 – '' M.F. Horn'' (Columbia) – also released as ''The World of Maynard Ferguson'' * 1971 – '' Maynard Ferguson'' (Columbia) – also released as ''Alive and Well in London'' * 1972 – '' M.F. Horn Two'' (Columbia) * 1973 – '' M.F. Horn 3'' (Columbia) * 1974 – '' M.F. Horn 4&5: Live At Jimmy's'' (Columbia) * 1974 – '' Chameleon'' (Columbia) * 1976 – '' Primal Scream'' (Columbia) * 1977 – ''

'' (Columbia) * 1977 – '' New Vintage'' (Columbia) * 1978 – ''

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

'' (Columbia) * 1979 – ''Hot'' (Columbia) * 1980 – ''It's My Time'' (Columbia) * 1981 – ''Hollywood'' (Columbia) * 1983 – ''Storm'' (

Palo Alto Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

) * 1983 – ''Live from San Francisco from the Great American Music Hal''l (Palo Alto) * 1986 – ''Body and Soul'' * 1987 – ''High Voltage'' (Intima) * 1988 – ''High Voltage 2'' (Intima) * 1990 – ''Big Bop Nouveau'' (Intima) * 1992 – ''Footpath Cafe'' (Avion) * 1994 – ''Live from London'' * 1994 – ''Live at Peacock Lane Hollywood 1957'' (Jazz Hour) * 1994 – ''These Cats Can Swing'' (Concord) * 1995 – ''Live at the Great American Music Hall Part 2'' (Status) * 1996 – ''One More Trip to Birdland'' (Concord) * 1998 – ''Brass Attitude'' (Concord) * 1999 – '' Big City Rhythms'' with

* 2001 – '' Swingin' for Schuur'' with Diane Schuur (Concord) * 2006 – ''M.F. Horn VI: Live at Ronnie's''

Posthumous releases

* 2007 – ''The One and Only''

Selected film soundtracks

* '' The Wild One'' (1953) * '' Living It Up'' (1954) * ''

Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery film, mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes, based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "After-Dinner Story, It Had to Be Murder". Originally released ...

'' (1954) * '' You're Never Too Young'' (1955) * ''Oreste'' (short) (1955) * '' The Man With The Golden Arm'' (1955) * ''

Blackboard Jungle ''Blackboard Jungle'' is a 1955 American social drama film about an English teacher in an interracial inner-city school, based on the 1954 novel ''The Blackboard Jungle'' by Evan Hunter and adapted for the screen and directed by Richard Brook ...

'' (1955) * '' The Ten Commandments'' (1956) * '' Crime in the Streets'' (1956) * '' The Proud and Profane'' (1956) * ''

Hot Rod Girl ''Hot Rod Girl'' is an independent, black-and-white 1956 teen-oriented action film produced by Norman T. Herman, directed by Leslie H. Martinson and released by American International Pictures as a double feature with ''Girls in Prison (1956 film) ...

'' (1956) * '' Dino (film)'' (1957) * '' The Delicate Delinquent'' (1957) * ''

Hot Rod Rumble ''Hot Rod Rumble'' is a US, low budget, black-and-white 1957 teen-oriented drag racing crime drama produced by Norman T. Herman and directed by Leslie H. Martinson. It stars Leigh Snowden and Richard Hartunian. The film tells the story of a cla ...

'' (1957) * ''Singin' and Swingin' '' (short) (1961) * ''Urbanissimo'' (short) (1966) * '' Indian Summer'' (1972) * '' Uncle Joe Shannon'' (1978)

As sideman

With

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte ( ; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte ...

* '' Belafonte'' (1955) * '' Calypso'' (1956) With Buddy Bregman * '' Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings'' ( Verve, 1956) * ''Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Songbook'', (Verve, 1956) * ''Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Rodgers and Hart Songbook'' (Verve, 1956) * ''Jerry Lewis Just Sings'' ( Capitol, 1956) * ''Swinging Kicks'' (Verve, 1957) * ''Boy Meets Girl'' (Verve, 1957) With Russ Garcia * ''Four Horns and Lush Life (Japan)'' (

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

, 1955) * ''Russ Garcia and his Four Trombone Band'' ( Fresh Sound) With

* '' Innovations in Modern Music'' ( Capitol, 1950) * '' Stan Kenton Presents'' (Capitol, 1950) * '' New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm'' (Capitol, 1953) * '' Popular Favorites by Stan Kenton'' (Capitol, 1953) * '' Sketches on Standards'' (Capitol, 1953) * '' This Modern World'' (Capitol, 1953) * '' The Kenton Era'' (Capitol, 1940–54, 955 * '' Kenton in Hi-Fi'' (Capitol, 1956) * '' The Innovations Orchestra'' (Capitol, 1950–51 997 With Perez Prado * ''Voodoo Suite'' (1955) * ''Havanna 3 A.M.'' (1956) With Shorty Rogers * '' Cool and Crazy'' ( RCA Victor, 1953) * '' Shorty Rogers Courts the Count'' (RCA Victor, 1954) * '' Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers'' (RCA Victor, 1957) With Pete Rugolo * ''

Something Cool ''Something Cool'' is the debut solo album by June Christy, released on Capitol Records first as a 10-inch LP of seven selections in August of 1954, and then as a 12-inch LP of eleven selections the following August, both times in monophonic ...

'' (Mono) with

June Christy June Christy (born Shirley Luster; November 20, 1925 – June 21, 1990) was an American singer, known for her work in the cool jazz genre and for her silky smooth vocals. Her success as a singer began with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. She pursued ...

(1954) * '' Introducing Pete Rugolo'' (Columbia, 1954) * '' Adventures in Rhythm'' (Columbia, 1954) * '' Rugolomania'' (Columbia, 1955) * '' New Sounds by Pete Rugolo'' (Harmony, 1954–55, 957 * '' Music for Hi-Fi Bugs'' (EmArcy, 1956) * '' Out on a Limb'' (EmArcy, 1956) * '' An Adventure in Sound: Brass in Hi-Fi'' (Mercury, 1956

958 Year 958 (Roman numerals, CMLVIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * October / November – Battle of Raban: The Byzantine Empire, Byzantines under John I Tzimiskes, Jo ...

With others * '' Skin Deep'', Louis Bellson ( Norgran, 1953) * '' Dinah Jams'',

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

(1954) * ''

Jam Session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without ...

'' with Clifford Brown and Clark Terry (EmArcy, 1954) * '' In the Land of Hi-Fi with Georgie Auld and His Orchestra'', Georgie Auld (EmArcy, 1955) * ''The Swingin'st'',

Vido Musso Vido William Musso (January 16, 1913 – January 9, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Musso is a fairly obscure figure in the history of jazz and big band music. He relocated with his family from Carini, Sicily to the U.S. in Ju ...

(Crown, 1956) * ''Spanish Fever'', Fania All-Stars (1978) * '' Chicago 13'',

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

(Columbia, 1979) * ''Special Delivery Featuring Maynard Ferguson'',

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music. He was also k ...

(Concord, 1996) * ''Indian Express/Mani & Co'', L. Subramaniam ( Milestone, 1999) * ''BeBop Your Best'', Red Grammer (Red Note, 2005) * ''Plays Well with Others'', Wayne Bergeron (Concord, 2007)

As producer

* ''Maynard Ferguson Presents Christian Jacob'' (Concord, 1997) * ''Maynard Ferguson Presents Tom Garling'' (Concord, 1997)

References

External links

*
Interview – NAMM Oral History Library (1977, 2006)

* *
Review of Ralph Jungheim's book ''Maynard!'' at ''JazzTimes''

One of the last Maynard Ferguson concert reviews at JazzChicago.net

Obituary
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Maynard 1928 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Canadian male musicians Anglophone Quebec people Apex Records artists Columbia Records artists Enterprise Records artists Vogue Schallplatten artists Mainstream Records artists Canadian jazz bandleaders Canadian jazz trumpeters Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees Canadian male trumpeters Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal alumni Crossover jazz trumpeters Deaths from kidney failure in California Hard bop trumpeters High School of Montreal alumni Jazz musicians from California Jazz-pop trumpeters Members of the Order of Canada Musicians from Montreal People from Ojai, California People from Verdun, Quebec 20th-century Canadian trumpeters 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians EmArcy Records artists DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame members