Maynard!

by Ralph Jungheim

1978 was a very interesting time in Maynard's career. "New Vintage" was his newest release, and he was enjoying unusually high name recognition for a jazz artist, thanks to the recent "Rocky" phenomenon. In that same year, author Ralph Jungheim sat down with thirty people who knew and worked with Maynard, and rolled tape. This book is a collection of thirty perspectives on Maynard Ferguson the man and musician.

The thirty people interviewed in this book have wildy varied personalities, and this results in thirty unique (and, at times, contradictory) perspectives on the same man.

"MAYNARD!" paints a picture of an amazingly gifted but occasionally naive young man that joined Kenton's band in 1950, and a man that experienced many ups and downs (personally and professionally) by 1978. Through it all, one theme was Maynard had a natural talent that was unmatched.

"MAYNARD!" is a 240 page paperback, and includes interviews with Charlie Barnet, Shelly Manne, Bud Shank, Don Ellis, Rufus "Speedy" Jones, Lanny Morgan, Don Menza, Lew Tabackin, Bob Summers, Stan Mark, Dennis Noday, Lynn Nicholson, Joe Mosello, Mike Migliore, Peter Erskine, and more.

167 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 17, 2009

Reviews

[Robert Kemp · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author interviewed thirty people, mostly musicians, to gather insight on Maynard Ferguson. Quite informative and enlightening.