Search - Maynard Ferguson :: I Like Jazz: Essence of

Where's the Essence?

Archie Mercer | Yorba Linda, CA | 03/09/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Not QUITE the "ESSENCE", but still GOOD !

C. Law | Las Vegas, NV USA | 10/04/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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!!!"

Great music, odd selection

thejazzdoctor | Boca Raton, FL United States | 01/07/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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."