Search - Maynard Ferguson :: Message From Birdland

Get it while it's hot

James A. Vedda | Alexandria, VA USA | 09/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For nearly two decades, CD releases of vintage Maynard recordings from the 1950s and early 1960s have had a bad habit of appearing briefly on the market and then disappearing. It remains to be seen whether the classic tracks released since Maynard's passing in August 2006 will be more durable, but just in case, buy this one before it goes away. These tracks first appeared on CD as part of a 1994 release titled "The Complete Roulette Recordings of the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra," but that set is long gone.

This 1959 live performance at Birdland in New York features hot arrangements and hot solos from every section of the band. Three of Maynard's best arrangers - tenor saxophonist Willie Maiden and trombonists Slide Hampton and Don Sebesky - are on this session, and their writing is well represented in the selections. Slide Hampton's work is particularly impressive: his original composition "The Mark of Jazz," his arrangement of Sonny Rollins' "Oleo," and his unique treatment of the standard "Stella by Starlight," which starts in the typical ballad style but builds continuously to the surprise ending. The CD is worth the investment for these three charts alone.

Other noteworthy sidemen on this session are Don Ellis on trumpet, Joe Zawinul on piano, and Jimmy Ford on alto sax, who plays up a storm on all of his solos.

The original LP release included the first seven tracks. The CD has five bonus tracks, two of which are alternate takes. The others are the trumpet section feature "Three More Foxes" (a little slower tempo than Maynard's two later recordings of this chart, but great solos), "Sea Isle Stomp" (a hard-driving Don Sebesky chart with equally hard-driving solos), and a short get-off-the-stage rendition of the band's theme "Blue Birdland" (with some talking by the club's announcer).

This was Maynard's finest era. In this album he clearly demonstrates that he could do more than just play high and loud - he could improvise with the best of them, keeping the great jazz licks flowing at any tempo. This is exciting stuff, a must-have for Maynard fans and anyone who digs jazz trumpet and high-octane big band music."

EXCELLENT Remastering, Outstanding Date

Mike DiMartino | Rochester, NY | 06/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased the monophonic LP around 1965. A few years ago I downloaded the tracks (also by Blue Note Mosaic) from Galaxy. For anyone wondering about the mastering quality of this CD, it is perfect--as superb as any Japanese CD in fact. There's no fake reverb added, no digital "enhancement" junk--just a true reproduction of the analog audio, which has a kind of "Newport" quality to it.



And it sizzles, as does Maynard's Conn CONNstellation trumpet and his band. Just wait till you hear "Stella by Starlight," an extended performance of a killer arrangement that features many of the band's soloists, including drummer Frankie Dunlop and alto saxophonist Jimmy Ford, who was a part of the early bebop scene but was seldom recorded.



By the way, another great Roulette release was Maynard's MESSAGE FROM NEWPORT, an outstanding session even if it was actually recorded in the studio, not on the bandstand at Freebody Park. Like my all-time favorite Maynard album SWINGIN' MY WAY THROUGH COLLEGE, I don't think MESSAGE is currently available, though LP copies of MESSAGE are plentiful on eBay.



And I wonder if Maynard's 1961 Newport performance was recorded/released ever. Then there's another out-of-print Maynard-Newport, that I've never heard, NEWPORT SUITE from 1960 I believe. And yes Mosaic has released the complete Roulette sessions...but my wallet is not quite as complete."