THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 23, 1996 TAG: 9606210208
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
LENGTH: 66 lines
``BIG BAND JAZZ'' is coming to Willett Hall in the person of Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band on Friday.
A single performance will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $13.50 and available at all Ticketmaster locations, including the Willett box office. Tickets can be charged by phoning 671-8100. All seats are reserved.
Ferguson, a legendary trumpeter, travels with a band of 10 to 12 musicians, the same group that last year recorded ``These Cats Can Swing'' for Concord Records.
A band leader for four decades, Ferguson has played all sorts of music. With the Big Bop Nouveau Band he is said to have ``redefined big band jazz for the '90s.''
While many other bands stick with music of bygone eras, Ferguson calls upon bebop, straight-ahead jazz, funk, swing, classical and contemporary music to create a special sound within the classic big band format.
An instrument designer, record producer, composer, educator-clinician, symphony guest soloist and soundtrack artist, Ferguson is a diverse and energetic musician. He is a three-time Grammy nominee and a consistent winner in Down Beat and Playboy jazz polls.
Born in Montreal in 1928, Ferguson began playing piano and violin as a pre-schooler. When he was 9, he began playing the trumpet. He received a scholarship to the French Conservatory of Music, and at age 13 he soloed as a child prodigy with the Canadian Broadcasting Company Orchestra. By the time he was 16 in the 1940s, Ferguson began to get noticed by the big band greats.
``I led a warm-up band in Canada for all the great orchestras when they passed through Montreal, including (Count) Basie, (Duke) Ellington, Woody Herman, (Stan) Kenton, Dizzy (Dean) and both Dorsey brothers,'' Ferguson was quoted recently as saying. ``I received a lot of offers.''
In 1949, Ferguson moved to the United States, where he planned to accept a standing offer from Kenton to join his orchestra. However, Kenton was taking the year off, so Ferguson spent the year playing with the Boyd Rayburn, Jimmy Dorsey and Charlie Barnett bands.
Then came a very visible three-year stint with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, where Ferguson's technique and phenomenal upper register pushed him into stardom. From there he went to Hollywood to work as a studio musician. He recorded numerous soundtracks for Paramount Pictures, including ``The Ten Commandments.''
He played William Russo's ``The Titan'' with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. Later, Ferguson put together an all-star big band called ``Birdland Dream Band'' for a 1956 engagement at Birdland. Then he formed a more permanent orchestra and stayed on the road for 10 years. He became popular with college students and won numerous awards.
In the late '60s and early '70s, Ferguson lived overseas and led a band of British musicians. When his recording of ``MacArthur Park'' became a hit in the United States, his touring schedule became so busy in this country that he decided to move back.
His recording of ``Gonna Fly Now'' was a top 10 hit in the late 1970s, and he received a Grammy nomination in 1978 for a gold album called ``Conquistador.''
From there he moved to leading a fusion-funk band, High Voltage, then he came full cycle with the formation of Big Bop Nouveau. Among the alumni of his band are Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione, Don Ellis, Wayne Shorter, Slide Hampton and Peter Erskine. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Maynard Ferguson is bringing his jazz Big Bop Nouveau Band to
Willett Hall on Friday. He is a three-time Grammy nominee and a
consistent winner in Down Beat and Playboy jazz polls. by CNB