Often overlooked in the pantheon of great trumpeters, Maynard Ferguson was a complete master of the instrument. This concert shows as much – at times his tone offers deep warmth, at others he spews hoarse and braying timbres and, occasionally, sounds just as squeaky as a balloon animal creator. It makes for an entertaining set and proves that Ferguson was a born leader. Though he earned his stripes as a sideman, it was at the helm that he excelled most and by the age of twenty-eight he directed a big band which featured Wayne Shorter, Jaki Byard, Frankie Dunlop, Joe Zawinul, and many more.
Later in his career, he turned his attention to youth development, something that gave back to the jazz community as well as proving profitable, with several cover albums selling well in the 70s and 80s. He also put an emphasis on film music, with the Rocky Balboa soundtrack counted among his biggest successes. “Gonna Fly Now” earned him a gold record in 1976 (a rare instance of a jazz track making the top end of the pop charts). In this performance, he is joined by a young and precocious orchestra who match Maynard for energy at every step, skirting between jazz, rock and avant-garde. They tackle “Birdland,” as well as the Rocky classics and rock the casbah like few jazz ensembles before them.
