new arrival: mf horn ii

NOTE: Because of tech restrictions his post is credited to me, but was written by Rob Wetstone, our in-house jazz expert and head of content

Maynard Ferguson.

He was the iconic screamer; the bravado band leader who specialized in soaring high notes, shrieks and shakes; the guy, who, according to snickering high school legend, blew so hard towards the end of his career that he had to wear Depends during concerts. He set the standard for the modern lead trumpet player from his earliest days with Stan Kenton’s Orchestra in the ’50s, and went on to lead his own big band for more than four decades, always striving to stay current (he died in 2006). There were always questions about whether he could really swing or improvise, but ultimately, no one really cared — especially not the legions of student brass players whose knees got all trembly the moment Maynard put his horn to his lips. Holy crap, at his peak, he and his band were pure adrenalin.

M.F.Horn II was released in 1972, and it remains one Maynard more memorable recordings, capturing the thrill of Maynard at the top of his game. (M.F. Horn, I, III, IV & V have yet to make it here — but there is an MF Horn VI). OK, so much of this album is completely dated — the reverbed engineering, wonky mixing, the fun, but sometimes hokey, arrangements, the track selection (all but two are covers of the hits of the day — “Country Road,” “Spinning Wheel,” “Mother”, “Theme from Shaft,” “Hey Jude”).

But damn, this band is so much fun to listen to. It’s a tight, limber and powerful instrument — nowhere more evident than on the thrilling first track, “Give It One,” the band’s live show opener. Maynard was definitely not the first jazz musician to commandeer pop hits, but he did it more effectively then most, encapsulating them in very economic and often thrilling arrangements — the whirling “Spinning Wheel,” “Country Road,” and the hopelessly clichéd but satisfying “Hey Jude” (which saw Maynard’s one and only entry into chaotic free jazz). Highly recommended for those sad brass souls who’ve spent hours in a practice room rehearsing long tones, trills and pentatonic scales.