MAYNARD FERGUSON - Primal Scream / New Vintage / Carnival
B.G.O. Records: BGOCD1142 (double CD set)
Maynard Ferguson (trumpet & customised horns) leading big band with string orchestra and singers with various soloists including Bobby Militello ( flute) Mike Migliore, David Sanborn (alto sax) Joe Farrell (tenor sax) (Bob James) piano & synthesisers.
Originally recorded for CBS in New York City circa 1975
Conventional wisdom holds that the Seventies was something of a barren period for jazz with the music becoming polluted by the intrusion of influences from the rock and pop genres. Nowadays, in these postmodern times, we are compelled to accept inputs from every available source without a negative utterance which makes me wonder whether our judgement of that era of outrageous fashion trends and preposterous hair styles has been too harsh.
That was certainly the case when the three Columbia sessions that comprise this double CD re-issue first appeared. They were universally panned as a commercial sell out and whilst it cannot be denied that an appeal to popular, non specialist jazz tastes informs both the selection of the material and the mode of its presentation it must equally be acknowledged that its accomplishment required musicianship of the highest order which remains powerfully impressive long after the image of flowered shirts, flared trousers and tonsorial extravagance has faded from memory.
Maynard Ferguson’s band of this period employed strings, vocalists, synthesisers and disco dance rhythms to augment his powerhouse brass riffs and high register trumpet forays in an endeavour to reach an audience that no longer found jazz in its purist form very palatable. For jazz pundits of the time this was the ultimate apostasy but we can take a more relaxed view now and enjoy what is undeniably stirring and often thrilling music.
Scattered amongst the novelty stuff like `Theme from “Battlestar Galactica” and the big tune from Rimsky – Korsakov’s `Scheherazade` are exultant versions of Weather Report’s `Birdland` and Gerry Rafferty’s `Baker Street` as well as a storm force version of the great jazz classic `Airegin`. Here and elsewhere there are brilliant solo contributions from David Sanborn, Joe Farrell, Marvin Stamm and Bobby Militello ( ultimately to become reedman for the final Dave Brubeck Quartet) as well as a cameo appearance by Chick Corea not forgetting the amazing, on- going, trumpet artistry from the leader.
With more seventies stuff coming out of copy-write we are likely to encounter a deluge of this type of music which on a second hearing won’t appear as bad as it was originally painted.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
B.G.O. Records: BGOCD1142 (double CD set)
Maynard Ferguson (trumpet & customised horns) leading big band with string orchestra and singers with various soloists including Bobby Militello ( flute) Mike Migliore, David Sanborn (alto sax) Joe Farrell (tenor sax) (Bob James) piano & synthesisers.
Originally recorded for CBS in New York City circa 1975
Conventional wisdom holds that the Seventies was something of a barren period for jazz with the music becoming polluted by the intrusion of influences from the rock and pop genres. Nowadays, in these postmodern times, we are compelled to accept inputs from every available source without a negative utterance which makes me wonder whether our judgement of that era of outrageous fashion trends and preposterous hair styles has been too harsh.
That was certainly the case when the three Columbia sessions that comprise this double CD re-issue first appeared. They were universally panned as a commercial sell out and whilst it cannot be denied that an appeal to popular, non specialist jazz tastes informs both the selection of the material and the mode of its presentation it must equally be acknowledged that its accomplishment required musicianship of the highest order which remains powerfully impressive long after the image of flowered shirts, flared trousers and tonsorial extravagance has faded from memory.
Maynard Ferguson’s band of this period employed strings, vocalists, synthesisers and disco dance rhythms to augment his powerhouse brass riffs and high register trumpet forays in an endeavour to reach an audience that no longer found jazz in its purist form very palatable. For jazz pundits of the time this was the ultimate apostasy but we can take a more relaxed view now and enjoy what is undeniably stirring and often thrilling music.
Scattered amongst the novelty stuff like `Theme from “Battlestar Galactica” and the big tune from Rimsky – Korsakov’s `Scheherazade` are exultant versions of Weather Report’s `Birdland` and Gerry Rafferty’s `Baker Street` as well as a storm force version of the great jazz classic `Airegin`. Here and elsewhere there are brilliant solo contributions from David Sanborn, Joe Farrell, Marvin Stamm and Bobby Militello ( ultimately to become reedman for the final Dave Brubeck Quartet) as well as a cameo appearance by Chick Corea not forgetting the amazing, on- going, trumpet artistry from the leader.
With more seventies stuff coming out of copy-write we are likely to encounter a deluge of this type of music which on a second hearing won’t appear as bad as it was originally painted.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
