[SF Republican]

My college roommate played trumpet in the marching band; he idolized Ferguson - I give a great deal of my love for jazz to that time I listened to it. Anytime an artist dies we do lose a little something.

[freedumb2003]

Total bummer. I was a trumpet player and in HS we would bust our guts trying to do the high MF part on "Rocky."

When I got the whole thing down it was one of the proudest days of my life.

Sleep well friend. You influenced an entire generation.

And prayers for the family and friends.

[PurpleMan]

There was one Maynard.

Everyone else was a wanna be.

[theDentist]

La Fiesta and Malaguena... (sigh) Thanks Maynard. You will be missed.

[Yossarian]

I attended a jazz workshop he put on at my college about 15 years ago. Nice guy, but they needed a better sound man on that tour. The concert following the workshop was amped as-if they were holding it in the Silverdome, when it was just in a ~3000 person hall.

RIP Maynard. Thanks for the tips....

-Yossarian the sax player

[Leg Olam]

The world of music is diminished by his loss. God rest M. Ferguson.

[MineralMan]

That's sad. I remember guys in the band back in high school trying to play some of Ferguson's high notes. They didn't succeed too well.

I used to freak them out by grabbing a trumpet and doing lip slurs and glisses way up high on the instrument, an octave or more above their highest notes. They couldn't figure out how I could do that, since I didn't even play the trumpet.

I never told them that oboist's embouchures are really strong. It was easy. But I never could get the hang of playing an instrument with only three valves.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

[butternut_squash_bisque]

RIP, Maynard. Thanks for all your music, as it made our country richer.

[Heyworth]

Huge cokehead back in the day.

[hoagy62]

I saw Ferguson in concert back in 1979. He did a screaming show, then did "Rocky" as the encore (which is what I came to see).

There was a story once that an instrument maker wanted to market a line of trumpet cases with Maynard's name on them. He said he didn't want to put anything out there with his name on it that would be shoddy merchandise. The instrument maker said that was fine, but what did Mr. Ferguson have in mind. He then took his own trumpet, put it in one of the cases, and without a word grabbed the case, walked out of the office, over to the staircase that led up to the office, and threw the case down the stairs.

He went after the case, opened it up, found his horn to be in perfect order, and said "Okay with me".

[Brian Mosely]

We had a guy in our high school band who could hit those screaming notes just like MF. Due to this, we wore out the Fergeson catalog on the field. He later went on to do studio work with folks like B.B. King and such.

[kevkrom]

I saw him play at a local high school almost 20 years ago...

[sitetest]

Classical Music Ping List ping!

If you want on or off this list, let me know via FR e-mail.

Thanks!

[AppyPappy]

Too bad the university library only has one MF work on CD : Message from Newport

I wanted Horn but they only have it in vinyl. I love the way he played Eli's Coming.

[ecurbh]

Awww, geez. He was one of the greats.

Gonna go put on Primal Scream now...

[bmwcyle]

He was one of the greatest. I have seen him live. God Bless and keep him.

[L.N. Smithee]

OH, NO! As someone raised on Top 40 radio, Maynard Ferguson was one of the jazz artists I enjoyed most. To me, he was the brass equivalent of Edward Van Halen, Jeff Beck, or Stevie Ray Vaughan, someone who could always be counted on to dazzle you with his unique skills at least once on every track.

I recently discovered that one of my favorite TV themes featured a Ferguson solo. The short-lived 1973 series "Roll Out!" was created by the men who brought M*A*S*H to the small screen; it was about the exploits of the Red Ball Express, a 75% black convoy unit serving the Allies in WWII. It starred the late Cleavon Little of Blazing Saddles fame.

Dave Grusin is credited with composing the theme, found on this page, but Ferguson's amazing range and accuracy are like a fingerprint, and I have no doubt it's him.

[Squawk 8888]

(((.)))

[OldFriend]

RIP, he was among the best.