Customer Reviews

Live at the Great American Music Hall Part II

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was first introduced to the music of Maynard Ferguson about the time this concert was recorded. I was able to attend concerts of his thoughout the 70's and got to witness the evolution of his music. This CD is a must have for MF fans for a couple of reasons. It is the first live CD I have ever heard from anyone that actually captures the true essense of the concert. Not only are we treated to the music but it includes Maynard's intro of each song. This is great because you learn who the soloists are in each piece. It also provides a look into MF just before his popularity exploded in 1975 with the release of Chameleon. If there is a downside to this it's the sound quality. The brass really overcomes the saxes on a couple of numbers. In other words the balance isn't quite right but other than that this is a great addition to your collection. Recorded in 1973, and between the releases of MF Horns 2 & 3, this concert shows touches of older and newer MF. Since Amazon doesn't list the songs here I will with brief comments.

1)MacArthur Park starts off the CD as the end of his first set of the night. As always, MacArthur Park is great, and we get to experience a great solo from drummer Randy Jones. In comparing this to the Live at Jimmy's version (recorded about a year later) I would say Jimmy's is a wee bit better, but not by much.

2 & 3)Blue Birdland. If you ever attended a MF concert you've heard this. It's the intro and ending piece of his sets. Why they included them here is beyond me but each is barely a minute long so no sweat.

4)Take the A train. A piece made famous by Duke Ellington. A solid but short number (listed at 3:37 the music is actually less that 3:00 and includeds MF's intro)

5)All Right, AllRight. Written by keyboardist Pete Jackson it features Jackson, Tony Bucanan on tenor sax, Eddie Byrne on trombone, and Joel DiBartolo on bass. A typical 20 minute MF selection, the solos are expanded and Maynard just screams. Very enjoyable.

6)County Road. The famous James Taylor song. MF originally recorded this about 1971 and was straight forward with it then. This version lasts about 9 minutes and features a beautiful into by Jackson on electric piano. It then moves slowly into the main theme and continues to build until the whole band is involved.

7)Hey Jude. The last piece included here. Although I didn't particularily care for the studio version of this track this live version is wonderful. Only eight minutes long yet features some classic Maynard screaming that must have made the whole hall shake.

There you have it. About 60 minutes of great MF music. Do not hesitate to grab this, it may not be around for long.

This review applies to two different CD's: "Maynard Ferguson Live at the Great American Music Hall Vol.1 and Vol. 2" (both available on Amazon at the moment). If you buy one, you might as well get the other, as it's all the same concert - just broken up into two different CD's. As for the music itself, I'd give the two CD's together 5 stars. This was apparently recorded in March of 1973, which is about the same time that MF3 came out. And it contains several charts from that album which I've never heard on any other live recording, so it's worth picking up just to hear cuts like "Nice and Juicy" played live. The band itself is top notch - everybody blows through these tunes with incredible energy and technique. And being a live performance, the solos are much longer and better developed than they were on the studio recordings where time limitations kept things short and to the point.

So all that is fine and dandy. My one big complaint with both CD's is the quality of the product itself, which was supposedly made by some outfit called "Status Compact Discs" in England. Both CD's have awful cover art, low-grade printing and skimpy liner notes. There is no info about where this "American Music Hall" is located or why the band was even there in the first place. It's also hard to tell if the two volumes of this CD contain the entire concert or if they are even in the correct sequence. The back says that these CD's are "edited from the analogue tapes by Dave Kay," so perhaps this is just the stuff they chose to put on the CD's from a larger set. In any case, this looks like a bootleg to me, so don't be surprised by the low-ball quality of the packaging.

Still, the sound quality is quite good for a live recording from this era, and the band itself plays with amazing power and control. So if you like Maynard's studio albums from this era, I'd definitely recommend this as an add-on purchase. And given the suspicious nature of the CD release, I'd suggest getting it sooner than later - odds are it will disappear forever once the current inventory on Amazon is depleted.

my problem is that i often set my expectations so high (for a purchase, an event, a meal) that, while the actual experience may be very good, it will seldom be as good as the expectation i have set for it. aware of this dynamic, i realized that i may have been setting myself up for another reality that fell short of the anticipation. but that didn't happen with Maynard's "Live at the Great American Music Hall Part II". it just didn't happen. hearing "hey jude" after not hearing it for 20 years (on MF Horn II) was so very sweet. a fresh version of "macarthur park" is always welcome. and "country road" was just as sweet -- even better -- than i recall it from his concerts in the 70s. true, i'm hard core on maynard. but this is 5-star.

YEAH!!! WHERE **IS** THE CD RELEASE OF "LIVE AT JIMMY'S", KO-LUMM-BEE-UHH? HUH??
YOU BIG D O R K S !!!
GET HIP, MAN! (and "Stay Loose With Bruce"!).

P.S. Update to this review... Live At Jimmy's finally released on CD. Not exactly like the vinyl (see other reviews), but close.

I bought this cd because I am a big Maynard fan, and I was amazed at the songs he can still dish out at his age. He is a great player and I recomend buying this, the solos are absolutely amazing.