Maynard Ferguson in clinic ...

... and performance

Maynard Ferguson, a trumpet hero to generations, died aged 78 on August 23rd. He suffered organ failure following an infection and died at the Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, California.

"The Boss" was born on May 4th 1928 in Verdun, near Montreal, Canada. He initially studied piano and violin but changed to the trumpet aged nine and performed with the Canadian Broadcasting Company orchestra at the age of eleven, forming his first band at the age of seventeen and opening for artists such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie.

Moving to the USA in 1948, aged 20, Ferguson played with Boyd Raeburn's Orchestra. He later played with Jimmy Dorsey and Charlie Barnet before joining Stan Kenton in 1950 and in 1953 moving on to be a studio player with Paramount Pictures. Ferguson moved to New York in 1956 to lead the Birdland Dream Band for the next eleven years. A period in India followed, then when Ferguson was on tour in the UK an almost-chance encounter with a Manchester rehearsal band led him to establish a new British-based big band, which mutated eventually (by 1974) into a US-based band in New York then California. Smaller groups followed, with High Voltage, then later the Big Bop Nouveau band. He had just recently sold out several performances at New York's famed Blue Note Club and had recorded a new Big Bop Nouveau album. Indeed Ferguson was a prolific recording artist, issuing more than 60 albums during his career and receiving honours, awards and chart success for many recordings. The 1976 Montreal Olympics featured his epic performance of Pagliacci in its closing ceremony. In 2005 Ferguson was awarded the Order of Canada. His funeral will be held in Ojai, California.

Maynard (4th from L) in a powerful section from around 1950

Tribute concert

The Maynard Ferguson Tribute Concert will take place on September 20, 2006 in St. Louis, Missouri: for more details please see the MF website listed below.

Donations

Rather than sending flowers, fans and friends are asked to consider donating to the Maynard Ferguson Scholarship Fund at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Full details are available at the official MF website.

ITG tribute

Michael Anderson and Gary Mortenson are compiling a Maynard Ferguson remembrance article for the ITG website and Journal. If you would like to participate with your Ferguson thoughts and images, please contact them by email (website@trumpetguild.org or editor@trumpetguild.org).

Website:
Maynard Ferguson official site
ITG Tribute page