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Maynard Ferguson - Underrated Middle Register?


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HackAmateur
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2021 2:49 am    Post subject: Maynard Ferguson - Underrated Middle Register? Reply with quote

Okay, I'm going to cite a great example that everybody has already heard before probably.

So, when most people think of Maynard Ferguson, they'll remark on his mastery of gorgeous high notes. And that's true. He had amazing control and tone with high notes.

But, on the rare occasion you find Maynard playing normal or middle register notes (notes below G on top of the staff), I want to draw attention to the fact that he made these notes sizzle with a bright timbre and edgy commercial tone... and he did it while looking like he's putting zero effort into it.

It looks and sounds like he's putting no effort into these lower notes, but they come out sizzling and bright like Doc Severinsen, except edgier tone-wise.

You might already know exactly what I'm talking about.

This is Birdland (go to 1:35)...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNbsnBZOwqE

He's literally barely articulating the notes and putting basically no effort into them whatsoever, but they come out sounding like a full-fledged sizzling commercial soloist tone. LOL You'd think this kind of sizzling beautiful commercial sound would require a lot of focus. Nope, Maynard just made it look easy.

I see nobody bringing this up anywhere. People don't talk about Maynard's low notes or his middle register. I want to hear MORE of Maynard's normal notes, but I don't know where to find them!

I get it. Maynard blasted out Double Cs that peeled paint off the walls of wherever he played. But again, his middle register and low notes sounded amazing and it's almost like nobody ever noticed because everyone just talks about his upper register mastery.

I want to talk about this guy's TONE and TIMBRE.
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trickg
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2021 4:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Something else that I think can only be experienced from seeing him live, is how loud he could be - his sound was big as a house, but the volume was off the scale as well. Recordings of Maynard never full captured that, and it's the main thing that separated him from other high note artists - other people could play as high and higher, but they couldn't do it while maintaining a sound that huge and loud. That hugeness of sound was present even in his lower register playing.

Most of the times I went to see Maynard it was at Blues Alley in Georgetown/Washington DC, which is a small venue - it was a wonderful place to showcase his abilities as a trumpet player.
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Shifty
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2021 10:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Yes, I think Maynard Ferguson is the greatest brass player in this part of the century."

-- Bud Herseth
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Nos Mo King
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2021 12:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maynard's clinic from 1977. He demonstrates his air power concept and plays all registers. The sound is clearly equal with no loss of tone or volume as he ascends.

https://youtu.be/uuK_WWPqNVQ

Video is grainy but audio should be ok.
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Nos Mo King
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2021 12:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry bout double post. Here he is at the 1976 Olympics...just playing trumpet effortlessly.

https://youtu.be/RwzHtPC035s

Again, grainy video but audio worked ok for me.
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cheiden
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2021 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

trickg wrote:
Something else that I think can only be experienced from seeing him live, is how loud he could be - his sound was big as a house, but the volume was off the scale as well. Recordings of Maynard never full captured that, and it's the main thing that separated him from other high note artists - other people could play as high and higher, but they couldn't do it while maintaining a sound that huge and loud. That hugeness of sound was present even in his lower register playing.

I saw Maynard in some small rooms and agree that you can't really explain how big he played unless you witnessed it first hand.
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khedger
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2021 1:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

cheiden wrote:
trickg wrote:
Something else that I think can only be experienced from seeing him live, is how loud he could be - his sound was big as a house, but the volume was off the scale as well. Recordings of Maynard never full captured that, and it's the main thing that separated him from other high note artists - other people could play as high and higher, but they couldn't do it while maintaining a sound that huge and loud. That hugeness of sound was present even in his lower register playing.

I saw Maynard in some small rooms and agree that you can't really explain how big he played unless you witnessed it first hand.


The first time I saw Maynard was around 1973 or 1974 in a high school auditorium. The band played with a Shure vocalmaster (two speaker columns) and two mics up front - one for Maynard and one for soloists, and a couple more on the band. Not a big amplification rig. The band, and Maynard just screamed! Later the trumpets and Maynard walked into the audience on 'Hey Jude' and Maynard was about two feet behind my left ear (I was on the aisle). It was scary how loud he and the other trumpet players played. My left ear rang for a week! I also think he played beautifully in the middle and lower registers....just a great trumpet player, and one of my faves.

keith
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spitvalve
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2021 2:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Especially if you listen to his older stuff, pre-1970's, he could do anything on the trumpet. His sound changed as he got older, maybe a little raspier and less controlled in his later years, but when he was in his prime--wow!
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american boy
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2021 3:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Give a listen to "People" on the album "Color him wild"
Recorded in the mid 60s I think; Unreal sound from Maynard
in all registers.And at that point in time, they were more or less
an accoustic big band with a bit of amplification compared to the rock
era sound set ups that came soon after;
Maynard was from a different planet;Over the years I got to play with some
of the guys who had played in his band, and every last one had only
the nicest things to say about that experience.
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trickg
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2021 6:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

khedger wrote:
cheiden wrote:
trickg wrote:
Something else that I think can only be experienced from seeing him live, is how loud he could be - his sound was big as a house, but the volume was off the scale as well. Recordings of Maynard never full captured that, and it's the main thing that separated him from other high note artists - other people could play as high and higher, but they couldn't do it while maintaining a sound that huge and loud. That hugeness of sound was present even in his lower register playing.

I saw Maynard in some small rooms and agree that you can't really explain how big he played unless you witnessed it first hand.


The first time I saw Maynard was around 1973 or 1974 in a high school auditorium. The band played with a Shure vocalmaster (two speaker columns) and two mics up front - one for Maynard and one for soloists, and a couple more on the band. Not a big amplification rig. The band, and Maynard just screamed! Later the trumpets and Maynard walked into the audience on 'Hey Jude' and Maynard was about two feet behind my left ear (I was on the aisle). It was scary how loud he and the other trumpet players played. My left ear rang for a week! I also think he played beautifully in the middle and lower registers....just a great trumpet player, and one of my faves.

keith

The second time I saw Maynard was at Blues Alley. I got there early - seating at Blues Alley at the time was first come, first served - and I had a seat right up front, jammed up against the foot of the little platform stage. Maynard's bell was pointed approximately at my left ear. I wadded up a piece of napkin and jammed it in my left ear. Keep in mind, he was so close I could have reached out and touched him. To say it was loud is a gross understatement. I loved every minute of it.
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blbaumgarn
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 13, 2021 3:19 am    Post subject: Maynard Ferguson Underrated middle register Reply with quote

I am going to say this again, and it may bore people in here, but the first time I ever saw spit blow out a bell was sitting up front at a h.s. gym in Minnesota and watching Maynard in the 70s put on a great show. His power, to me, is unrivaled. I had some of his LPs from the 50s given to me as a kid and his dance tunes show that he had that edge and sound in all registers. When I saw spit blow out the end of his horn, one of the high school kids I drove over to the concert grabbed me by the arm and his eyes were popping out of his head. We were both amazed. Now maybe we shouldn't have been, but I agree that seeing him in person means a great deal.
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Vin DiBona
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 13, 2021 5:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a friend who played lead with Maynard. He said Maynard was a bebop trumpeter with incredible high chops.
Here is an example of Maynard in the low and middle register.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMNDsX-WjWQ
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HackAmateur
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 13, 2021 7:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

american boy wrote:
Give a listen to "People" on the album "Color him wild"
Recorded in the mid 60s I think; Unreal sound from Maynard
in all registers.And at that point in time, they were more or less
an accoustic big band with a bit of amplification compared to the rock
era sound set ups that came soon after;
Maynard was from a different planet;Over the years I got to play with some
of the guys who had played in his band, and every last one had only
the nicest things to say about that experience.


Now that's Maynard showing off low, middle, and high notes in one song with equal measure.

I wish he would have played with more range diversity in his later stuff after the 60s. He had such a great middle and low register sound, but I guess the audience wanted to hear those stratosphere notes more. That's what sold the most tickets, I suppose.

I'm glad those Maynard recordings prior to the 70s exist, though, or we'd have never gotten to hear his middle and lower register and how beautiful it was.
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rothman
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2021 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not everyone liked the way the studio leaned toward a darker sort of mix with his English band, but they seemed to capture the middle register well at the start..

https://youtube.com/watch?v=fC6ykRiQcvA
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Shaft
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2021 1:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Same with Faddis.

Clean, resonant, no issues.


Their sound concept was what they chose it to be.


I NEVER ever desired to play like the green twenty something

uppity (or ignorant; yes ignorant in that they never heard half of the recordings
of either artist) college students who I used to hear slam MF or Faddis’ playing.
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khedger
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2021 8:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

HackAmateur wrote:


....snip....snip...snip....

I wish he would have played with more range diversity in his later stuff after the 60s. He had such a great middle and low register sound, but I guess the audience wanted to hear those stratosphere notes more. That's what sold the most tickets, I suppose.

I'm glad those Maynard recordings prior to the 70s exist, though, or we'd have never gotten to hear his middle and lower register and how beautiful it was.


I hear you, but let's remember
MF HORN
MF HORN II
MF HORN III
Live at Jimmy's
Chameleon

were all recorded after 1970, and yes the material started evenutally getting 'lighter', Maynard and the band(s) played amazingly on them....

Oh, and if you want to complain (not that you did) about Maynard playing schlocky material in the late 70s (and he did) you can always go back to the early 60s and listen to 'The Madison'.....

keith
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rothman
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 7:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It may be by the time the MF Horn series came out, that he decided not to feature himself as much in the middle register. Mac Park was 4 bars and done.. Some tunes.. trombone gets chosen over the trumpet in that register, for whatever reason.

Not usually mentioned as a 'sizzling' chart, but he is a howitzer on it..

https://youtube.com/watch?v=-MR3HhiwmP0
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cheiden
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

rothman wrote:
It may be by the time the MF Horn series came out, that he decided not to feature himself as much in the middle register. Mac Park was 4 bars and done.. Some tunes.. trombone gets chosen over the trumpet in that register, for whatever reason.

Not usually mentioned as a 'sizzling' chart, but he is a howitzer on it..

https://youtube.com/watch?v=-MR3HhiwmP0

LOVE that album! One of my all-time favorites.
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HackAmateur
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 09, 2021 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

rothman wrote:
It may be by the time the MF Horn series came out, that he decided not to feature himself as much in the middle register. Mac Park was 4 bars and done.. Some tunes.. trombone gets chosen over the trumpet in that register, for whatever reason.

Not usually mentioned as a 'sizzling' chart, but he is a howitzer on it..

https://youtube.com/watch?v=-MR3HhiwmP0


Haha great big sound! But these aren't middle register notes! You tricked me!

That being said, I hadn't heard this one before. For some reason, it's 'obscure' even though it's beautiful.
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As a composer, I will never write "B Sharp", "C Flat", "E Sharp", or "F Flat". I don't care what the key signature is. I'm not an academic; I'm a musician.

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HackAmateur
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 09, 2021 6:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vin DiBona wrote:
I have a friend who played lead with Maynard. He said Maynard was a bebop trumpeter with incredible high chops.
Here is an example of Maynard in the low and middle register.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMNDsX-WjWQ
R. Tomasek


NICE!

Another gorgeous composition with Maynard playing his lower and middle register notes, with just a handful of high notes. Pretty much exactly the kind of commercial playing I love.

So the recordings do exist of Maynard playing normal notes, it turns out. It's just most of them were in the 60s, but he studio recorded quite a bit more than I knew about back then. That means these great old recordings will stay with us for posterity.
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As a composer, I will never write "B Sharp", "C Flat", "E Sharp", or "F Flat". I don't care what the key signature is. I'm not an academic; I'm a musician.

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