Thursday, August 31, 2006

Maynard Ferguson - Swinging My Way Through College (1958)



Roulette R-25058

1. Don'cha Go 'Way Mad
2. That Old Feeling
3. What's New
4. Dancing In The Dark
5. BitterSweet
6. It's A Pity To Say Goodnight
7. BJ's Back In Town
8. Tenderly
9. Bye Bye Blackbird
10. They Can't Take That Away From Me

Liner Notes:

Just as his "A Message from Newport" (Roulette R-52012) was created as a typical set of concert performances, so is "Swingin' My Way Through College" equally representative of another facet of the Maynard Ferguson band's protean talents.
This is a dance album primarily, and a swinging album too, of course, for dance era music has been identified with first-class, swinging music ever since Benny Goodman inaugurated the swing era. "One of my favorite formats," says Maynard, "is to play a college dance date and then do a 30 to 45 minute jazz concert in the middle of the evening, when the audience will gather around the bandstand to listen, just as then used to for Goodman and Harry James."
College audiences by now for a substantial segment of the Ferguson orchestra's clientèle. In addition to playing dance dates at Lehigh, the University of Rochester and many other such seats of learning, the band enjoyed some of its most important exposure in the fall of 1958 when, as part of the Jazz for Moderns show (along with the Four Freshmen and the Brubeck and Rollins combos) it played halls at the Universities of Virginia, Iowa and Minnesota, Smith College and many others.
Probably as a result of the tremendous reaction on these dates, the band shot op to take its place among the nation's top four orchestras in the latest Down Beat poll; in addition, Maynard showed in the trumpet voting, racing ahead of Shorty Rogers, Jonah Jones, Louis Armstrong and other figures all more widely publicized than he.
The band's adaptability to every setting has had much to do with its mounting success. "We consider our dance music book and our jazz library to be two separate things," says Maynard, "even though, of course, they do overlap and there are many people who enjoy the music from both."
This is very true of the present set of performances. Many of the arrangements were written specifically with the idea of "Swingin' My Way Through College," and the dancers, specifically in mind; on the other hand, "Tenderly," for instance, was an important and very well received item in the set played by the band on concert dates on the Jazz for Moderns tour.
Side A: "DON'CHA GO 'WAY MAD," originally an Illinois Jacquet instrumental hit known as "Black Velvet," is heard here in a Willie Maiden arrangement. The first chorus features an attractive combination of tone colors with which Willie has been experimenting - Maynard on baritone horn, Slide Hampton on tuba and Don Sebesky on bass trombone. The tenor sax solo is by Carmen Leggio.
"THAT OLD FEELING" is a Bill Holman arrangement, with Maynard at his muted best in the second chorus.
"WHAT"S NEW," created 20 years ago in the bob Crosby band as "I'm Free," is a Slide Hampton score, with a moment of Willie Maiden tenor but mainly featuring Maynard's trumpet.
"DANCING IN THE DARK," played at a delightfully danceable tempo, was arranged by Slide.
"BITTERSWEET" is an original composition, written and arranged by Willie Maiden.
"LOVE WALKED IN," one of Gershwin's las popular songs (1936), has a tenor solo by Willie Maiden, who wrote the arrangement, and passages by Maynard on both valve trombone and trumpet.
SIDE B: "IT'S A PITY TO SAY GOODNIGHT", a pop tune of the '40s, is also Willie's score, with the baritone horn-tuba-bass trombone combination attractively used in the first chorus. This also includes Maynard's first solo on baritone horn.
"B.J's BACK IN TOWN" (the initials are for Maynard's maid) is a Maiden original, a 12-bar blues in which the leader's trumpet, Bob Dogan's piano and Carmen Leggio's tenor are spotlighted.
"TENDERLY" (introduced as a vocal ballad by Sarah Vaughn in 1947) is one of Maiden's most colorful arrangements. He is heard on tenor. The climax is an amazing descending run in which Maynard weaves his way though more than three octaves.
"BYE BYE BLACKBIRD," a Tin Pan Alley veteran dating back to 1926, was arranged by Don Sebesky. The soloists are Maynard, muted, Jimmy Ford on alto and Bob Dogan on piano, with Slide again heard on the tuba in the ensemble.
"THEY CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME" (Gershwin, 1937) is also a Sebesky arrangement and features him and the leader in solos.

Maynard Ferguson - Two's Company (1961)



Roulette SR 52068

Maynard Ferguson with vocalist Chris Connor.

1. I Feel a Song Coming On
2. The Wind
3. New York's My Home
4. Guess Who I Saw Today?
5. When The Sun Comes Out
6. Send For Me
7. Where Do You Go?
8. Something's Coming
9. Deep Song
10. Can't Get Out Of This Mood

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Dave Stahl - Anaconda (1987)



1. Porque Nose
2. Anaconda
3. Saving All My Love For You
4. Scream Machine
5. Liquid Sunshine
6. That’s What Friends Are For
7. Grid Locked

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New Host, Comments

I am switching to sharebig.com as they claim to never delete files. Both Rapidshare and Megaupload delete with 30 days of inactivity (unless you have paid for an account). We'll see how it works.

If you like something here, feel free to comment! Please!

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

GRP All-Star Big Band - LIVE! (1993)



Featuring Arturo Sandoval, Randy Brecker, Chuck Findley, & Byron Stripling.

1. Oleo
2. My Man's Gone Now
3. Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing)
4. Manteca
5. Blues For Howard
6. Cherokee
7. Blue Train
8. 's Wonderful
9. Sister Sadie
10. Grp Band Introduction/Dave Grusin

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Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Maynard Ferguson - Come Blow Your Horn (1964)



Cameo SC-1066
Cameo C-1066

1. Groove
2. Country Boy
3. Blues For A Four String Guitar
4. Whisper Not
5. We've Got A World That Swings
6. Chicago That Toddling Town
7. Naked City Theme
8. New Hope
9. Anthony And Clopatra
10. Come Blow Your Horn

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Maynard Ferguson - The Blues Roar (1964)



Mainstream Records M-56045
Mainstream Records M-6045

1. Every Day I Have The Blues
2. Night Train
3. Mary Ann
4. What'd I Say
5. Baltimore Oriole
6. I Believe To My Soul
7. I've Got A Woman

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Monday, August 28, 2006

Stan Kenton - Summer of '51 (1951)



Unreleased 1951 radio broadcast from the Hollywood Palladium. Maynard Ferguson is included in this recording.

CD Notes: "The musical performances herein are of historical importance, derived from original radio transcriptions of the time period. Elements of surface sound interference were removed everywhere it was possible to do so without destroying the integrity and flavor of music originally designed and performed for listening enjoyment through broadcast systems of the era."

1. Artistry In Rhythm (Intro)
2. Machito
3. Stardust
4. Gone With The Wind
5. Eager Beaver
6. Autumn Leaves
7. Minor Riff
8. Collaboration
9. Painted Rhythm
10. Viva Prado
11. Love For Sale
12. Intermission Riff
13. Blues In Riff
14. Easy Go
15. Lover
16. Artistry In Rhythm

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Bill Holman - The Norwegian Radio Big Band Meets Bill Holman (1989)



Recorded June 15th thru 19th, 1987 at the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation's Studio 19, Oslo.

1. And Thad Ain't Bad
2. Be-Bop Love Song
3. A Separate Walking
4. All The Way
5. Sometimes
6. The Primrose Path
7. Frontrunner

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Maynard Ferguson - Boy with Lots of Brass (1957)




Mercury MG 20556; rip from LP

1. Give Me The Simple Life
2. My Funny Valentine
3. The Lamp Is Low
4. Imagination
5. The Song Is You
6. Jeepers Creepers
7. Love Me Or Leave Me
8. A Foggy Day
9. Easy To Love
10. Moonlight In Vermont
11. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
12. I Never Knew

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Sunday, August 27, 2006

Chase - Live Forever (1998)



Contains live performances recorded between October 23 - 26, 1973.

1. Open Up Wide
2. Close Up Tight
3. Shades of Venus
4. Weird Song # 1
5. Ode to a New England Jellyfish
6. Twinkles
7. Bo Chowa
8. MacArthur Park
9. Get It On

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Maynard Ferguson - MF Horn 4 & 5, Live at Jimmy's (1973)



1. Teonova
2. MacArthur Park
3. Left Bank Express
4. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
5. Two for Otis
6. Stay Loose with Bruce
7. Nice N' Juicy
8. The Fox Hunt
9. Got the Spirit
10. Blue Birdland

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Saturday, August 26, 2006

Maynard Ferguson - MF Horn 2 (1972)




1. Give It One
2. Country Road
3. Theme From "Shaft"
4. The Summer Knows
5. Mother
6. Spinning Wheel
7. Free Wheeler
8. Hey Jude

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Maynard Ferguson - Newport Suite (1960)



1. Jazz Berries
2. Foxy
3. Newport
4. Got The Spirit
5. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
6. Ol' Man River
7. Three More Foxes

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Friday, August 25, 2006

Maynard Ferguson - Live at the Blue Note (2003)



Recorded live February 27, 2003

1. Blue Birdland
2. It' Don't Mean a Thing
3. Ain't No Sunshine
4. Girl from Impanema
5. Milestones
6. MF Hit Medley / Blue Birdland

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Maynard Ferguson - Live at Peacock Lane (1957)



1. Blue Birdland
2. Great Guns
3. Lady Bug
4. My Funny Valentine
5. Dancing Nightly
6. Geller's Celler
7. More West
8. Stand Up And Preach
9. Maynard The Fox
10. Christmas For Moderns
11. Early Hours
12. Little Girl Kimbi
13. Rosebud

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Thursday, August 24, 2006

R.I.P. MF

I started this blog about an hour before Maynard passed. I did not even know he was ill. Last I had heard he had completed a stint at Birdland and a recording session for a new CD. I logged in this morning (Aug. 24th) to first see that he was told to take some time off, but the next post I read stated he had passed. I was stunned, shocked and saddened. Still am. Goodbye Maynard, you will always be with us through the legacy of your recording and performance career, and through all the people you have touched. Myself - somehow, even though I have never met or spoken to you - included.

Maynard Ferguson - Footpath Café (1992)



1. Get It To Go
2. Footpath Café
3. Brazil
4. That's My Desire
5. Crusin' for a Bluesin'
6. Poison Ya Blues
7. Break the Ice
8. Hit and Run

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Bob Curnow's L.A. Big Band - Music of Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays (1994)



1. (It's Just) Talk
2. Always And Forever
3. The First Circle
4. Letter From Home
5. Are We There Yet?
6. If I Could
7. See the World
8. Minuano (Six Eight)
9. Dream of the Return
10. Every Summer Night
11. In Her Family
12. Have You Heard

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Bill Yeager's LA Jazz Workshop - Medium Basie Swing (1988)



1.Medium Basie Swing
2.Take It To The Ozone
3.Stan's Donuts
4.Yes & No
5.Let's Eat Carcass
6.Can't Say What I Feel
7.Angel Eyes
8.Mickey's Revenge
9.The Shopwork Shuffle
10.Goodbye Pork-Pie Hat
11.Abacus
12.Close The Door

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Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Maynard Ferguson - A Message from Newport (1958)



1. The Fugue
2. Fan it, Janet
3. The Waltz
4. Tag Team
5. And We Listened
6. Slide's Derangement
7. Frame for the Blues
8. Humbug
9. Three Little Foxes

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Maynard Ferguson - Si! Si! MF (1962)

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1. What'll I Do
2. Early Hours
3. Morganpoint
4. Si! Si! MF
5. Great Guns
6. Almost Like Being In Love
7. Mimi
8. Morgan's Organ
9. Born To Be Blue
10. Straight Out

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Maynard Ferguson - Six by Six (1972)

Maynard Ferguson - Six by Six (1972)

  1. To And Fro

  2. Love Theme From "The SandPiper"

  3. No More Wood

  4. April Fool

  5. Summertime

  6. Between Races


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The Ed Palermo Big Band - Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (1997)

The Ed Palermo Big Band - Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (1997) <br />

1. Peaches En Regalia
2. Toads Of The Short Forest
3. Who Are The Brain Police?/Holiday In Berlin (Excerpt)
4. Twenty Small Cigars
5. King Kong
6. Aybe Sea
7. Waka/Jawaka
8. Sofa #1
9. The Little House I Used To Live In
10. We Are Not Alone
11. Wai, Fn?

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