[AppyPappy]

Exactly the same with me. My roomie turned me on to Maynard. Brilliant musician

[middie]

A great loss--A true tale of Maynard Ferguson: In the late 70s I was TDY at Bergstrom AFB in Austin, Tx during a week when he was playing a concert at the local performing auditorium. Of course I attended. That weekend the same TDY assignment took me to NAS Jacksonville, Fla. where, serendipitiously, Maynard was playing as the next stop on his road trip.

A friend at NAS Jax knew the performing center's manager and got us invited to a pre-performance wine and cheese reception. At the function I shook Maynard's hand and told him how much I enjoy his albumns and especially his performance the previous Friday in Austin. He stopped, looked at me and my thinning grey hair (I was not in uniform) and said: ''You were at the show last Friday in Austin and in Jacksonville three days later to see the same road show?'' I answered: ''Yes I certainly am happy to hear you and the band again.'' Maynard took a sip of his diet cola, gave the four of us in this short conversation a curious look and said: '' Hey man, you've got to be the world's oldest groupie.'' He introduced me as such to several of the band members. What a gas!

[palmer]

We did a fair amount of current MF in high school jazz band. Kerry McKillop could hit a bit of the high stuff (now plays with Woody Herman off and on), but Tony D'Aveni was the high notes specialist although without a lot of control. Listening to Birdland now.

[TexasNative2000]

Greatness.