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.
Exactly the same with me. My roomie turned me on to Maynard. Brilliant musician
I saw him play around 20 years ago and the high notes were amazing. At point they were so high I could not hear them.
RIP Maynard...
This news reminds me of a joke that everyone knew back in the days when Leon Breedon was the leader of the One O'Clock Jazz Band: A jazz musician dies and goes to Heaven. An angel is showing him around and takes him into a beautiful theater where an amazing band is playing jazz. Charlie Parker is on sax, Benny Goodman is on clarinet, Louis Armstrong is playing trumpet. The musician points at the man leading the band and asks in an awestruck voice, "That person leading the band...Is...Is that Leon Breedon?!"
The angel replies, "No, that's God. He just thinks He's Leon Breedon."
I was in the band in HS we were competing in a national competition and we got to see him in concert Atlanta GA in 1983. I went out and bought his stuff right away and have loved his music ever since.
The son of a close friend of mine played piano/keyboards on tour in recent years with Ferguson. He was THE BEST. He took care of his players very well - better than many "names" out there. My dad has all his albums including an early 10" of Ferguson playing VALVE TROMBONE!
Saw him in person once. Best ever. Birdman was always my favorite.
We went to see him in high school with all my band friends. It remains one of my highlight memories of high school. RIP.