The Essence Of Maynard Ferguson

Maynard Ferguson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 23, 2011)
• Original Release Date: January 26, 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Legacy/Columbia
• ASIN: B0000028RI
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,962 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The Essence Of Maynard Ferguson by Maynard Ferguson

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where's the Essence?, March 9, 2000

By 

Archie Mercer "Archie" (Yorba Linda, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Essence Of Maynard Ferguson (Audio CD)

Being a BIG Maynard Ferguson fan, from the old days of the MF Horns albums, I have to question why they chose these songs for a "Greatest Hits" collection. No matter what the previous reviewer stated, Rocky and Gospel John are not included here. If they were then this might collectable. With the exceptions of Birdland and maybe MacArthur's Park most of these selections would not be considered his most popular. It would be understandable if this had been released in the mid 1970's but it came out in 1993. Believe me, Maynard has much better music than this. If you're looking for the "Classic" Maynard sound, try Chameleon. If you're looking for a great Jazz/Swing set, try These Cats can Swing. This should only be considered if you're looking for some of his lesser known works.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not QUITE the "ESSENCE", but still GOOD !, October 3, 2000

By 

C. Law "Charlie Law" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Essence Of Maynard Ferguson (Audio CD)

How do you take a 50-year music career and condense it into one album, called "The Essence Of.." ?? (Answer: you CAN'T!) There are many notable omissions here..this should be "The Essence Of Maynard Ferguson, After Watering Down At the Record Company." There is nothing of the "Birdland Dream Band" of the late 50's & early 60's (I would have liked them to include "Danny Boy," "Maria," Don Sebesky's unplayable romp on "A Train," and Slide Hampton's great chart on "Stella By Starlight, but alas, there's none of those here....

There IS at least one tune from the "M.F. Horn" group Maynard assembled in Europe (the BIGGEST band he ever fronted), "MacArthur Park," as well as a couple of re-recorded renditions of early things: "Round Midnight" and Mike Abene's be-bop rip-snorter, "The Fox Hunt." Also happily included are "I Can't Get Started" (Maynard SINGS!!), without which no one should even CONSIDER a trumpet-player anthology, and "Birdland," which the band plays the daylights out of. "Conquistador," I suspect, was thrown in because this came from Columbia's archives and the producer didn't know what to include. There is some variation of styles and different "bags" Maynard has explored, and all things considered, I LIKE this album!! If you enjoy Maynard Ferguson as I do (I still have my FIRST Maynard album, "Maynard Ferguson Plays Jazz For Dancing," from 1958), you should own this....IT'S LOTS OF FUN!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great music, odd selection, January 6, 2003

By 

thejazzdoctor "thejazzdoctor" (Boca Raton, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essence Of Maynard Ferguson (Audio CD)

Coming up with a rating for this album was very difficult, as the music itself is wonderful - Ferguson is an accomplished trumper player, and a joy to listen to. However, the selection of tunes is somewhat narrow, presenting the listener with only one facet of the music. All the tunes are gathered from within a particular time in Ferguson's career. Earlier work (from the MF Horn LPs, or the Birdland Dream Band) is missing, and later work (with the Big Bop Nouveau) isn't covered. Instead, we see a rather one dimensional picture, which doesn't do the artist justice.

That criticism aside, the music on the album is excellent. Ferguson's rendition of Birdland is, to my mind, *the* recording of this great tune, and MacArthur Park has everlasting appeal. The other tunes on the album are equally strong, and represent a solid snapshot of the Ferguson sound during one particular period.

My confusion lies in the market. If you are new to Ferguson, this album only presents one aspect of his style. If you are an afficianado, you probably have most, if not all, of these tracks already.