Search - Wayne Bergeron :: Plays Well With Others

Stellar trumpet playing over a swingin' big band

Steve Frazier | Seattle | 01/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wayne Bergeron is a former lead trumpet player for trumpet/band leader & legend Maynard Ferguson. Bergeron also has been for many years one of the leading (if not the leading) Hollywood studio trumpet players, and somehow finds time to play with the Gordon Goodwin Big Phat band. If you're listening to a movie or TV show with big, brassy, soaring lead trumpet lines there's a pretty good chance you're hearing Wayne Bergeron leading the trumpet section.



This CD -- Wayne's second under his own name -- is a fine collection of modern big band arrangements with plenty of solo opportunities for this master trumpeter. This is *not* just an album for trumpet geeks, though: it's a first-rate modern big band ensemble playing on a nice mix of original tunes and *great* arrangements of standards like "You Go to My Head" and "Georgia". There's even a big band arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov's theme from Sheherazade, which manages to be quite interesting (and not overly cute, as classical-to-jazz arrangements often are). Another great arrangement is the opener, "Torture Without End", which is reminiscent of Latin-jazz-fusion songs like La Fiesta and Spain. If you're a fan of other modern big bands -- like Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band (where Bergeron plays lead) -- you'll definitely feel at home with these arrangements (By the way, the CD lists the arrangers/composers of every song with contact information so interested band leaders/educators can acquire the charts for themselves).



If you *are* a trumpet geek, then one of the highlights of the CD is the duet "Maynard & Waynard," which has Wayne playing a long, loping duet with his mentor Maynard Ferguson, in what was apparently Maynard's last recording before his death last year at age 78. That the two had a huge respect for each other is apparent here -- the two trade licks back and forth for most of a 7-minute track, and it never devolves into a "I can top you" screamfest as these things sometimes do; instead, it's more like a high-powered conversation between two pros.



The rest of Wayne's playing is pretty much impeccable (as always). He's got a big, bright sound on trumpet; plays wonderful relaxed solos on the more mellow flugelhorn, and even on the highest notes is playing with control and precision. He never over-pushes his sound, and thus never loses the musical thread of what he's trying to do.



Highly recommended to fans of the modern big band scene and anyone w/any interest in one of the "heirs" of the Maynard Ferguson tradition of great jazz solo and lead playing. A great find for casual jazz fans, and a "must" for trumpet fans.















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The Epitome Of "Cool"...

Giovanni C. Washington-Wright | Dallas, TX United States | 01/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I was a kid, my Dad told me that a person who is "cool" is someone who makes the world a better place (and more fun) just because they're here. Wayne is COOL... and "Plays Well With Others" is BRILLIANT. All of us working musicians aspire to be like Wayne. He raises the consciousness of every project he's involved with."

Plays Well Period!!

Paul Bb | New York | 02/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wayne is, by far, the best trumpet player alive today! You have heard him already unless you live in a cave in the wilderness! Listen to his soaring lines on the soundtract for the Incredibles and you get the idea. I am a band leader and a trumpet player (I use the term loosely after hearing Wayne!) This CD, his second, is a joy to listen to and another step up from his first (I enjoyed the first one too) He is coming into his own now and the buzz in the music community is that he is the heir to the "Trumpet King" throne! If you enjoy powerhouse big band music and the sound of a great trumpet player be sure to add this one to your collection!"