# Maynard Ferguson, RIP **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 25, 2006, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maynard-ferguson-rip/370131 "2006-08-25T02:48:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maynard-ferguson-rip/370131/1 "2006-08-25T02:48:21Z")
I can’t believe I’m the first to post this. Legendary trumpeter Maynard Ferguson has passed away at the age of 78: [http://www.maynardferguson.com/](http://www.maynardferguson.com/) ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maynard-ferguson-rip/370131/2 "2006-08-25T03:01:34Z")
Wow, back when I was in band, I listened to all of his music. I can’t even imagine the number of high school trumpet players that listened to him. RIP ---
**Author:** ![Revedge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecae2f/32.png) [@Revedge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revedge)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maynard-ferguson-rip/370131/3 "2006-08-25T04:03:22Z")
I saw he and his band play at the La Bastille club in Houston in 1975. They played a 2 hour and 20 min set that wailed. He was great, but so was the everyone else. It was a night I’ll never forget and magnitudes better than his best recordings. Thanks Maynard. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maynard-ferguson-rip/370131/4 "2006-08-25T05:08:07Z")
That guy could make even MacArthur Park sound cool. ---
**Author:** ![Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Key_Lime_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maynard-ferguson-rip/370131/5 "2006-08-25T15:51:27Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42] I can’t even imagine the number of high school trumpet players that listened to him. [/QUOTE] Check. Man that guy could blow. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maynard-ferguson-rip/370131/6 "2006-08-25T16:01:56Z")
Not just trumpet players. (I played trombone.) Maynard Ferguson’s music, in addition to getting me through the 9th grade, introduced me to my lifelong love of jazz. Thanks, Maynard. ---
**Author:** ![Pazu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pazu/32/15522_2.png) [@Pazu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pazu)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maynard-ferguson-rip/370131/7 "2006-08-25T17:03:11Z")
[QUOTE=E. Thorp] Not just trumpet players. (I played trombone.) Maynard Ferguson’s music, in addition to getting me through the 9th grade, introduced me to my lifelong love of jazz. Thanks, Maynard. [/QUOTE] Sax player chiming in here to agree wholeheartedly. And his music got me through the 80’s entire. I first heard him in a live performance at a local community college. I was 15, and went with a bunch of friends from band. I had no idea who he was at the time. It was pretty amazing. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maynard-ferguson-rip/370131/8 "2006-08-25T17:15:38Z")
Wow I can’t believe you were the first to post that either. My best friend is a trumpet player (me, trombone). Maynard is his idol. I just told him, he’s very angry he didn’t go see Maynard in February. Big loss ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maynard-ferguson-rip/370131/9 "2006-08-25T18:12:19Z")
I saw him, maybe 25 years ago, doing a small concert at a local college. I was disappointed. Live, he left the “nice” playing to the trumpeter in the band and just did the really high (what I think of as _screaming_) notes. He might have been drunk, too… just didn’t really seem to be part of what was happening on stage. I think I’ll miss Mangione more when he goes. -Belrix (former sax player) ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maynard-ferguson-rip/370131/10 "2006-08-25T18:45:36Z")
Sax player checking in, and I did jazz band throughout high school and into college. He was a BEAST of a trumpet player, and he will be missed. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2006, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maynard-ferguson-rip/370131/11 "2006-08-25T21:25:35Z")
I was a sax player too, and I didn’t really listen to Maynard all that much, but _Gonna Fly Now_ was pretty much ubiquitous on the radio during the time I was playing alto sax in my junior high school jazz band. I do think I’ve got one of his cassette tapes around here somewhere. I’d dig it out, but I don’t have a cassette player anymore ☹ But even though I wouldn’t really call myself a fan, I figured I’d post it when I saw nobody else had done so.