Song:Gonna Fly Now
Album:The Essential Maynard Ferguson
Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson was famous for hitting those high notes. He had been doing that since he was in Stan Kenton's band in the 50s. So it was a big surprise when Ferguson scored the only hit single of his career with Gonna Fly Now in 1976. That's right. It's the theme from Rocky. The original was a number one hit. Ferguson's version was a top 30 hit but I think it may be more memorable than the original. Obviously folks confuse the two versions. Ferguson was born May 4, 1928 in the Montreal suburb of Verdun, QC. His parents were musicians and Ferguson was a child prodigy violinist. He picked up the trumpet at age 9 and as a teen he appeared frequently on CBC Radio. After studying at the Montreal Conservatory of Music, Ferguson played local clubs until he moved to Los Angeles in 1948 to join Stan Kenton's band. And that's where Ferguson became famous. He won the Down Beat Magazine Readers Poll as Best Trumpeter for three straight years. In 1953 he left the Kenton band for Paramount Pictures. He also recorded as a leader for Mercury's jazz label EmArcy. So you hear Ferguson in movies like The Ten Commandments. But while working for Paramount, he wasn't allowed to play live gigs in clubs. He left Paramount in 1956 and he signed with Roulette Records to lead the Birdland Dream Band. They toured and recorded successfully until 1966. Ferguson was already involved with Eastern culture and spiritual awakening through his friend Timothy Leary. Ferguson and his wife moved to India in 1967 and then to England in 1969. That's when he got back into recording with Columbia Records. At first he recorded with a British band and he led the house band on LWT's The Simon Dee Show. Then he moved back to New York in 1971 and formed a new band with mostly young musicians. His albums were doing OK but producer Bob James wanted more commercial music. So for the 1976 album Primal Scream, James brought in guest musicians like Chick Corea, Steve Gadd and Eric Gale. Ferguson liked the record but he wanted to use his own band on the next album Conquistador. He got what he wanted except for the recording of Gonna Fly Now. Jay Chattaway arranged and conducted. Guest musicians included Bob James, Harvey Mason, Ralph McDonald, Randy Brecker, Marvin Stamm, Jon Faddis and Joe Farrell. Bobby Militello from Ferguson's band played the flute solo. Gonna Fly Now reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the only hit single of Ferguson's career. Ferguson left Columbia in 1982. Except for a couple of late 90s albums for Concord, Ferguson and his band Big Bop Nouveau recorded for small labels and toured a lot. He died on Aug. 23, 2006 at age 78. This 2CD comp is a good overview of Ferguson's entire career. Here's Maynard Ferguson performing Gonna Fly Now on The Mike Douglas Show 1977.
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