Ridin' High

Artist: Maynard Ferguson
Label: Wounded Bird Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 664140310124
EAN: 0664140310124
ASIN: B00065TZCS

Release Date: 2004-11-02

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Listmania:

Maynard Ferguson odds & ends

Tracks:

Rise and Fall of Seven
Light Green
Kundalini Woman
Sunny
Meet a Cheetah
Molecules
Wack-Wack
Stan Speaks
Alfie

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Customer Reviews:

Not the Maynard we knew and loved........2007-01-30

From 1956 to 1964 Maynard Ferguson was arguably at his musical peak -- and what a peak it was. Anyone hearing this album -- and none other -- would be left wondering what in the world the fuss about Maynard was really all about. In a word, this album SUCKS. That's BIG TIME sucks.

If I were the lead trumpet on this recording it would clearly mark the high point of my entire trumpet playing career. But for Maynard Ferguson? Get real. This is only 20% of the real 100% Maynard. (In fairness, 20% of Maynard IS 100% of most other players... on their best days.)

I got the opportunity to speak with Maynard for a few minutes in the late '60s and asked him about this album. Then, I felt like a complete fool for doing so. After all, why use the rare opportunity of speaking with THE MAN to discuss the ONE album where his playing clearly wasn't getting it? What an idiot I was! In any case, he didn't really directly answer my query... and I'm glad he didn't.

Something was clearly wrong here and I'm not going to try to guess what that something was. But as a huge fan of this man's body of work, if I could wave a magic wand, I would order all extant copies of this recording confiscated and erased, burned, crunched, or nuked -- for HIS sake and enduring memory. But, like some of the other reviewers, I WOULD keep the album jacket and maybe even frame it (although my favorite MF album jacket is "Maynard 1969").

I wasn't any too thrilled with Maynard doing disco stuff or hanging out with Ravi Shankar and his sitar, but "Ridin High" is a turkey in a class by itself.

Happily, MF went on to do some of his very best work after this. God rest his soul. We love you man.

JP

Read & Believe All the Reviews!.......2005-10-04

Even though there are some fine musicians on this album, something went horribly wrong. The charts are mediocre, the band sounds awful, Maynard is really struggling. You will only listen to it once. For Maynard COLLECTORS only. Even then, you might think twice about your purchase.

Nice picture of Maynard on the motorcycle, though. Ridin' high???

Maybe Playin' "high"!

I heard the man say it himself.......2005-07-17

In 1969 or so I was a 17 year old Maynard fan in a small Kentucky town. Listening to late night air waves, I picked up an honest to God live interview with Maynard. Rodchester NY..a guy named Harry Abraham asked Maynard about this "album". I still remember his words " I must have been high on something to have let that album be released like that". That says it all. Nice cover!

A Disturbing and Fascinating Album.......2005-02-06

Released in 1966 with little fanfare on a long forgotten label, "Ridin' High" is symbolic of the nadir that big band jazz reached in mid-60's America. This was Maynard's last album with the vestiges of the Birdland Dream Band before he followed the throngs of great American jazz artists exiled to the more receptive climes of Europe. The band features some excellent musicians (Lew Tabakin, Pepper Adams, Slide Hamption) and arrangers (Don Sebesky, Slide Hampton).

However, the whole is less than the sum of the parts. Maynard was obviously dealing with some chops problems as his trademark high notes are either strained or non-existent and his midrange solos sometimes verge on the bizzare. I recall an interview where he mentioned having some dental problems after getting hit in the mouth by a drunk at a dance, and I suspect that is the issue here. I consulted Maynard's biography (MF Horn by William F. Lee) but the book is a puff piece that rarely addresses the low points in Maynard's life with much honesty and contains only passing reference to this album.

Many of the arrangements reflect a feeble attempt to create a more "contemporary" sound with rock-flavored head tunes that are surprisingly unsatisfying to 21st-century ears. A true fusion of jazz horns with rock sensibilities would have to wait for Chicago, BS&T and a new crop of arrangers that would gain attention only a few months later. Ironically, perhaps the most interesting arrangement is a pointillistic cover of "Alfie," but hearing Maynard struggle unsuccessfully to soar majestically is almost painful to hear. The sonic quality of the album is stunningly clear for a 39-year-old tape, but the discrete stereo separation and complete lack of reverb only enhance the warts in the playing.

For die-hard Maynard fans interested in a complete picture of the artist, this album should probably be heard. But for those seeking the fabled excitement of Maynard Ferguson and his piercing high notes, you would be better served by the first "Birdland Dream Band" album, "Verve Jazz Masters 52" (a collection from his 50's Mercury recordings), Columbia collections like "The Essense of Maynard Ferguson," or his commercial trumphs "Conquistador" and "New Vintage"

A Nice Novelty Album To Have, But............2005-01-18

This is a very poor album recording. It has poor sound quality. Probably because the origional LP is a MONO recording. The tracks are a little rough to listen to. Specifically the track called, "The Rise And Fall Of Seven". With this track, you can't really connect anything together. Not to mention Ferguson's Timothy Leary reference to the "Chicago Seven." The tempo shifts are a little awkard to listen to. It seems like the band just didn't mesh very well. "Sunny", "Satan Speaks", and "Alfie" are about the best tracks on the LP. "Meet A Cheetah" get honorable mention as well. I don't recommend this album to anyone just getting into Ferguson's material. Although it is a nice novelty piece to own in your collection. I would recommend something a little more tasty like "Verve Jazz Masters Vol#52." to get the real effect of Ferguson's playing.

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