‘Master of the Stratosphere’ Maynard Ferguson Still Likes the Air Up There

Internationally known jazz trumpeter, arranger, bandleader and instrument designer Maynard Ferguson got a lot of support for his musical pursuits very early on in life, especially from his mother. Mr Ferguson discussed his upbringing and some of his influences as an up and coming jazz star during a recent interview with The Newtown Bee, prior to his appearance at Newtown High School on February 17.

At 76, the jazz trumpet legend still hits each and every high note he sets out to play. The self-proclaimed ‘master of the stratosphere” brought his touring band – Big Bop Nouveau – to town last week and treated the standing room only crowd to what will certainly be remembered as a high note among local musical performances.

According to road manager and stage technician Ed Sargent, more than 100 out of the 150 shows Mr Ferguson plays each year are to help young musicians and music education programs. In that respect, he said, he is following in his mom’s footsteps.

“It’s funny how growing up the things your parents do for you can take off to become something really great,” Mr Ferguson said. “Both my parents were school principals and I always remember them yelling at the school board to teach music in the school system.”

While the prospect of opening for, and witnessing the power and form of Big Bop Nouveau up close was likely a thrill of a lifetime for the more serious-minded NHS musicians, it is an experience that young, up and coming jazz players have enjoyed for decades. During his more than 60 years in the music business, Mr Ferguson has been to fledgling jazz players what Johnny Carson was to young comedians.

Over the years, he was backed by many gifted musicians who became contemporary stars in their own right. Jazz luminaries like Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione, Bill Chase, Bob James, Slide Hampton, Wayne Shorter, Greg Bissonette, Peter Erskine, Joe Zawinul, Willie Maiden and Don Ellis all at one time or another came under Mr Ferguon’s tutelage, and undoubtedly benefited from his leadership.

Throughout his career, Mr Ferguson has always tried to encourage musical talent, irrelevant of how individually gifted one person might be compared to another. He said that supporting young musicians is very important, and that early foundation can translate into other areas of their lives as they grow and develop.

“When a person comes to me and asks me how they can reach a certain level of fame, I encourage that person, man or woman, boy or girl, to continue working to find that one true thing they are a natural at,” he said. “I tell them not to be led down a path promising fame without investing in themselves. It takes a lot of hard work to develop into a career the gifts that may come naturally.”

In his younger days, Mr Ferguson had no shortage of inspirational mentors. The list of musicians referred to as influences in Mr Ferguson’s bio reads like a greatest hits list of musical giants. By the time he was 16, he came to the attention of many great bandleaders of the big band era.

“I led the warm-up band in Canada for all the great orchestras when they passed through Montreal, including Basie, Ellington, Woody Herman, Kenton, Dizzy, and both Dorsey brothers,” said Mr Ferguson.

One of the most exciting contacts of his entire career, however, came when he was invited to play under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.

“It was one of my most exciting and challenging gigs,” he said. “The neoclassical arrangement I was playing was supposed to be played exactly as written. So there I was running through the arrangement in rehearsal at Carnegie Hall, giving it my all, and Lenny – as they called him – stopped the orchestra after my first solo and said, ‘That was marvelous, Mr Ferguson.’

“But I knew there was a ‘but’ coming. He turns to me and says: ‘I do believe the third movement starts out Mezzo Piano,’ very softly. And suddenly one of the trombone players shouts out from the back, ‘Mr Bernstein, that is his Mezzo Piano!’”

If he had any advice to leave with the members of the Newtown Jazz Ensemble, the group that hosted last week’s show, it would be to observe all the great bandleaders and players and adapt the best of the best into their own practices.

“I would single out Stan Kenton. Working with him was one of my greatest experiences,” Mr Ferguson said. “I would watch him and just soak up everything I admired about him. I brought a lot of what he offered into my own act, but throughout my life, I still left myself wide open to influences from just about anywhere.”

Concert At NHS

The February 17 concert not only featured a 70-minute show by Mr Ferguson and his band, but a truly amazing opening set by the NHS Jazz Ensemble, and a set from the scaled down student jazz combo. The full band opened the show with several Ferguson arrangements that were as thrilling to hear as they must have been for the students to perform.

Serving as bandleader and master of ceremonies for the opening set, NHS band director Kurt Eckhardt introduced several featured performers, as well as the impressive arrangements his young band members performed. Among the Ferguson arrangements were the popular “Coconut Champagne” and the Latin flavored “Brazil.”

Mr Eckhardt said the event was not only educational for everyone involved, but a great financial boost to the music department, as well.

“Maynard is still a big influence on the students,” he said. “But what made him a great find for this show, was his talent for bridging jazz and popular music.”

During the set, Big Bop Nouveau performed variations on pop hits like “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone,” “The Girl from Ipanema,” “Days of Wine and Roses,” “I’m getting Sentimental Over You,” “MacAurthur Park” and “Birdland.”

While fans and interested music department supporters lined up to shop from a selection of Maynard Ferguson items and CDs being sold in the lobby during the show, the most popular product was also the artists newest DVD release. The DVD, Live – At the Top showcases the jazz artist at the peak of his popularity in a 1975 public television broadcast from Rochester, New York.

Learn more about the artist at his website, ww.Maynard.Ferguson.net.