Show notes
WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?"CHAMELEON" by Maynard Ferguson (Columbia, 1974)I admit that I’m woefully unequipped to discuss Big Band music, or any Jazz for that matter, in great detail. Although, throughout my life I’ve developed a passion for the odd jazz master here and there, and as a matter of personal pride I’ve always strived to be conversant in the subject, at the very least. However, the trumpeter Maynard Ferguson was a blank slate for me. So, when combing through my 8 tracks and I stumbled upon this cart, I decided to give it a spin. This record depicts big band music at that cusp of time when it was struggling for relevance. Doc Severinson, Johnny Carson’s band leader, (another trumpet player), played what seemed comically bloated and old fashioned - my parent’s music. Maynard Ferguson was Doc’s contemporary who played with him in Charlie Barnet’s band in the late 40’s, and he carried the big band flag all the way to his death in 2006 at the age of 78. When he made Chameleon in ’74 he was 46 - still vital and searching for a key to the mystic highway. The covers of Paul McCartney’s Jet, the titular funk track by Herbie Hancock, and the sprawling Livin’ for the City by Stevie Wonder all testify to this cool Quebecois’s questing versatility. And it’s good stuff - lustily orchestrated and delivered. As his obit in the Washington Post described Mr. Ferguson’s high register wailing: he was: “…. A gladiator, a combat soldier, a prize fighter, a circus strongman…” Now here’s where the story gets weird and interesting for me: In 1963, Maynard brought his family to live with Timothy Leary and Ram Dass at their compound in Hitchcock Estates and lived there for three years, recording and taking psychedelics. Then, he went to India and taught Krishnamurti at the Rishi Valley School. And, he always attributed his ability to hit and sustain those high notes from his Yogic breath control. This turned my perception of this artist’s output on its head. Live and learn.Side One:1. | "Chameleon" | Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason, Bennie Maupin, Herbie Hancock | 4:352. | "Gospel John" | Jeffrey Steinberg | 6:023. | "The Way We Were" | Marvin Hamlisch, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman | 3:254. | "Jet" | Paul McCartney | 3:55Side Two:1. | "La Fiesta" | Chick Corea | 8:042. | "I Can't Get Started" (vocals by Maynard Ferguson) | Ira Gershwin, Vernon Duke | 3:423. | "Livin' for the City" | Stevie Wonder | 4:554. | "Superbone Meets the Bad Man"