Maynard Ferguson

Before beginning his professional career in the United States with saxophonist and conductor Boyd Raeburn, Maynard Ferguson trained in Montreal, where he had already led several small ensembles. He then joined the orchestras of Jimmy Dorsey and Charlie Barnet, before coming to prominence during a solo concert in New York, not least because he plays a wide range of instruments, from clarinets to trumpets and saxophones. But it was mainly in the early '50s that he established his reputation, in Stan Kenton's band, where he developed his musical personality and his high-pitched flights. Apart from this collaboration, which lasted almost three years, Maynard Ferguson began his career as a leader, setting up a large orchestra himself. He called on exceptional musicians such as Clark Terry, Clifford Brown, Jaki Byard, Don Ellis, Joe Farrell, Joe Zawinul and Ray Brown. Some also wrote arrangements for him, including Jimmy Giuffre, Johnny Mandel, Don Sebesky, Don Menza and Slide Hampton. This successful ensemble performed until 1967, when he decided to continue as a sextet. Shortly afterwards, he moved to Great Britain, where he would later lead an orchestra of local musicians in the early 70s. After a stint in India, he returned to leading a large orchestra when he moved back to the United States. Subsequently, although he moved away from the jazz tradition to perform famous film and variety music, he occasionally reunited with old stage partners such as McCoy Tyner and Slide Hampton.

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