Customer Reviews

Ridin' High

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Released in 1966 with little fanfare on a long forgotten label, "Ridin' High" is symbolic of the nadir that big band jazz reached in mid-60's America. This was Maynard's last album with the vestiges of the Birdland Dream Band before he followed the throngs of great American jazz artists exiled to the more receptive climes of Europe. The band features some excellent musicians (Lew Tabakin, Pepper Adams, Slide Hamption) and arrangers (Don Sebesky, Slide Hampton).

However, the whole is less than the sum of the parts. Maynard was obviously dealing with some chops problems as his trademark high notes are either strained or non-existent and his midrange solos sometimes verge on the bizzare. I recall an interview where he mentioned having some dental problems after getting hit in the mouth by a drunk at a dance, and I suspect that is the issue here. I consulted Maynard's biography (MF Horn by William F. Lee) but the book is a puff piece that rarely addresses the low points in Maynard's life with much honesty and contains only passing reference to this album.

Many of the arrangements reflect a feeble attempt to create a more "contemporary" sound with rock-flavored head tunes that are surprisingly unsatisfying to 21st-century ears. A true fusion of jazz horns with rock sensibilities would have to wait for Chicago, BS&T and a new crop of arrangers that would gain attention only a few months later. Ironically, perhaps the most interesting arrangement is a pointillistic cover of "Alfie," but hearing Maynard struggle unsuccessfully to soar majestically is almost painful to hear. The sonic quality of the album is stunningly clear for a 39-year-old tape, but the discrete stereo separation and complete lack of reverb only enhance the warts in the playing.

For die-hard Maynard fans interested in a complete picture of the artist, this album should probably be heard. But for those seeking the fabled excitement of Maynard Ferguson and his piercing high notes, you would be better served by the first "Birdland Dream Band" album, "Verve Jazz Masters 52" (a collection from his 50's Mercury recordings), Columbia collections like "The Essense of Maynard Ferguson," or his commercial trumphs "Conquistador" and "New Vintage"

A good album, very good in parts, but not great. Also known under the title "Freaky" this has significance to MF's career as the last album by the band that grew out of the Birdland Dream Band in 1956. This album is from 10 years later, and has some good arrangements, but is not the best performance of MF.
On some numbers he is lacking his usual fire and zip, as though he is tired or having a bad night. Even so, he plays with command and flair throughout.
The first number is an odd one, with MF supplying an appropriate and equally odd solo, though the number doesn't quite come off. There are some jazzy pop numbers (Sunny, etc.) but fans of MF's pop fusion work from the 1970s will not hear what they expect here as the sound and style is closer to his earlier 1960s work. I'm a fan of both eras of MF's career, but this album is an uneasy mix of the two.
Notable sidemen include Lou Soloff, Lew Tabaken, Slide Hampton and others.
Not a bad effort, but it is MF in transition and just a tad off the mark. Fans of MF and/or big band sounds of the 1960s will find enough to enjoy, others might want to make this a lower priority.

Even though there are some fine musicians on this album, something went horribly wrong. The charts are mediocre, the band sounds awful, Maynard is really struggling. You will only listen to it once. For Maynard COLLECTORS only. Even then, you might think twice about your purchase.

Nice picture of Maynard on the motorcycle, though. Ridin' high???

Maybe Playin' "high"!

This was a very unusual period from Ferguson's career. This album is a neat novelty piece to have. I actually own the original LP of this recording. But it wasn't a very good album. It was probably recorded about the time Mr. Ferguson was having all of those dental problems, that he always spoke about. But the two highlights from the album are the cuts "Satan Speaks" and "Alfie". I'm really glad to see this album on CD though! I wish they would put all of Maynard's complete Mercury/EmArcy LP's on CD, like "Boy With Lots of Brass", or "Dimensions". That would be really cool!

In 1969 or so I was a 17 year old Maynard fan in a small Kentucky town. Listening to late night air waves, I picked up an honest to God live interview with Maynard. Rodchester NY..a guy named Harry Abraham asked Maynard about this "album". I still remember his words " I must have been high on something to have let that album be released like that". That says it all. Nice cover!

As a high school jazz drummer in the 1980's, I listened to and played many arrangements by Maynard Ferguson (what high school jazz band DIDN'T play his version of Birdland back then?). Our director was a die-hard Basie fan, and scoffed at Maynard's commercial leanings and showboating on stage. But I still loved the MF sound and that in-your-face style of big band jazz. Nobody else did it like Maynard!

Thiry years later, my tastes in jazz are broader and perhaps more refined, but I still have a sentimental fondness for Maynard and his 70's/80's era power jazz style. I recently picked up reissues of those old records I had on Columbia, and marvel at the level of musicianship required to play those arrangements. Personally I think his MF1, MF2, and MF3 were his best albums, but of course he has fans and detractors for nearly every phase of his long and eclectic career.

That brings us to this release - an obscure reissue of a 1966 album recorded during a transitional period in Maynard's career. The 1960's were not kind of big band jazz, and most of the groups either folded up or started playing rock/pop arrangements just to keep afloat. For his part, Maynard was in something of a funk, and this album came out just a couple of years before he packed up and moved to England in frustration with the jazz scene in general. It's not his best playing, and some of the arrangements are pretty out there. But despite all that, I really like this album!

There are a lot of negative reviews on Amazon for this CD, and I can see where some of his fans would just hate this record. In fact, if someone had just thrown it in the CD player without telling me what it was, I would have guessed is was some unknown Buddy Rich session from the 60's rather than an MF release. It's got that same strange mix of inventive modern jazz and pop/rock/funk commercialism that Buddy was experimenting with back then, and even includes a cut called "Wack Wack" that Buddy recorded around the same time. But if you can get past that veneer of 60's weirdness, there's some really engaging music on here. The sound quality is a bit boxy, but no worse than many other jazz recordings of this era. And as always, Wounded Bird Records did a great job reissuing this, complete with original artwork.

So the bottom line is that if you're a Maynard Ferguson fan who already has his most of his albums and wants to hear something unusual, this is well worth picking up. If you're used to his more polished, heavily produced albums from the 80's onward, you'll probably think this is awful. But for those who really dig Maynard, this is a unique glimpse into a transitional phase of his career that's worth having in your collection. And seeing how many of the Wounded Bird CD's seem to be going out of print and are unavailable anywhere (including Maynard's "Hollywood" album), I'd suggest getting sooner than later. I doubt anyone else will reissue this odd-ball album, so get it while you can!

Great album. I wish I had added this one to my collection sooner. This is pure Maynard.

This is a very poor album recording. It has poor sound quality. Probably because the origional LP is a MONO recording. The tracks are a little rough to listen to. Specifically the track called, "The Rise And Fall Of Seven". With this track, you can't really connect anything together. Not to mention Ferguson's Timothy Leary reference to the "Chicago Seven." The tempo shifts are a little awkard to listen to. It seems like the band just didn't mesh very well. "Sunny", "Satan Speaks", and "Alfie" are about the best tracks on the LP. "Meet A Cheetah" get honorable mention as well. I don't recommend this album to anyone just getting into Ferguson's material. Although it is a nice novelty piece to own in your collection. I would recommend something a little more tasty like "Verve Jazz Masters Vol#52." to get the real effect of Ferguson's playing.

I love Maynard, but this album makes no sense. The arrangements are terrible. The all-star band sounds awful. Maynard barely plays, and with none of his usual energy and drive. You'd think he was trying to get out of a recording contract! Even for Maynard collectors, this one should stay out of the collection. (Or buy it and then never open it.) I can't recommend Maynard's playing enough, but this album won't shed light on Maynard's genius.

From 1956 to 1964 Maynard Ferguson was arguably at his musical peak -- and what a peak it was. Anyone hearing this album -- and none other -- would be left wondering what in the world the fuss about Maynard was really all about. In a word, this album SUCKS. That's BIG TIME sucks.

If I were the lead trumpet on this recording it would clearly mark the high point of my entire trumpet playing career. But for Maynard Ferguson? Get real. This is only 20% of the real 100% Maynard. (In fairness, 20% of Maynard IS 100% of most other players... on their best days.)

I got the opportunity to speak with Maynard for a few minutes in the late '60s and asked him about this album. Then, I felt like a complete fool for doing so. After all, why use the rare opportunity of speaking with THE MAN to discuss the ONE album where his playing clearly wasn't getting it? What an idiot I was! In any case, he didn't really directly answer my query... and I'm glad he didn't.

Something was clearly wrong here and I'm not going to try to guess what that something was. But as a huge fan of this man's body of work, if I could wave a magic wand, I would order all extant copies of this recording confiscated and erased, burned, crunched, or nuked -- for HIS sake and enduring memory. But, like some of the other reviewers, I WOULD keep the album jacket and maybe even frame it (although my favorite MF album jacket is "Maynard 1969").

I wasn't any too thrilled with Maynard doing disco stuff or hanging out with Ravi Shankar and his sitar, but "Ridin High" is a turkey in a class by itself.

Happily, MF went on to do some of his very best work after this. God rest his soul. We love you man.

JP