Search - Maynard Ferguson :: Conquistador

Maybe one his best sellers but definitely not one of his bes

Archie Mercer | Yorba Linda, CA | 11/07/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Maynard Ferguson is without a doubt a great trumpet player, a great band leader, and a wonderful judge of talent as evidenced by his ability to surround himself with some of the best jazz musicians in the world. What he lacked during the 1970's was a clear vision of what he wanted to be. Just when he had built a strong momentum with M.F Horn 4 & 5 - Live at Jimmy's and Chameleon he takes a left turn into "Primal Scream" and then this collection. "Conquistador" shows Maynard at his indecisive best (or worst). A great version of Theme from Rocky (which actually got a lot of air-play on top 40 radio) is then followed by a trite ditty called Mister Mellow. There's even lyrics ("Mister Mellow, Mister Meeellllooow"). Star Trek is OK if only to hear the awesome flute of Bobby Militelo(?). The title song is hauntingly good, but was MUCH better when heard live in concert, and The Fly isn't too bad as a device to let Mark Colby out to wow you on sax. The biggest problem this album had was the success it had due to Rocky. For the next three or so albums Maynard tried to duplicate that success using other movie themes (Star Wars, Rocky II, and a quick re-release of Star Trek when they started making movies of it again). It wasn't until after the albums "Festival" and "Hot" that he started to retrace his routes and get back to just playing the music he liked. This isn't a bad collection, it's just not where I would recommend you start if looking for your first Maynard CD."