A Moment of Silence Please

One of my jazz idols has passed away. Maynard Ferguson, the king of the stratosphere, passed away last Wednesday due to complications with an abdominal infection. During the last decade or so, Maynard traveled with the Big Bop Nouveau, a six-piece band that packed a real punch. I had the priviledge of seeing them live at Bountiful High School in 1995.

Listeners desiring to familiarize themselves with Maynard's recordings can start by listening to the Grammy-nominated theme from Rocky: "Gonna Fly Now." Other great charts by this master of faster are "Conquistador" and "Coconut Champagne." I will never forget the many hours I spent in the band room at my high school playing along with recordings of Maynard Ferguson as he belted out the painfully high notes time after time. During those months, I spent so much spare time in the band room that I went for almost six months without getting my hair cut. This guy, I thought, was truly amazing.

Maynard, I'm going to miss you.