Editing Maynard Ferguson (section)

==Biography==
===Early life and education===
Ferguson was born in [[Verdun, Quebec|Verdun]] (now part of [[Montreal]]), Quebec, Canada.<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=853}}</ref> Encouraged by his parents, he started playing piano and violin at the age of four. At nine years old, he heard a cornet for the first time in his local church and asked his parents to buy one for him. When he was thirteen, he soloed with the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] Orchestra. He was heard frequently on the CBC, notably featured on a "Serenade for Trumpet in Jazz" written for him by [[Morris Davis (composer)|Morris Davis]]. He won a scholarship to the [[Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal]] where he studied from 1943 to 1948 with Bernard Baker.

Ferguson dropped out of the [[High School of Montreal]] when he was fifteen to pursue a music career, performing in dance bands led by Stan Wood, Roland David, and Johnny Holmes. Although trumpet was his primary instrument, he also performed on other brass and reed instruments. He took over the dance band formed by his saxophonist brother Percy, playing dates in the Montreal area and serving as an opening act for touring bands from Canada and the U.S. During this period, he came to the attention of American bandleaders and began receiving offers to go to the U.S.

In 1948, Ferguson moved to the United States,<ref name="enc_music_ca"/> intending to join [[Stan Kenton]]'s band, but it no longer existed, so Ferguson played with the bands of [[Boyd Raeburn]], [[Jimmy Dorsey]], and [[Charlie Barnet]].<ref name="LarkinGE"/> The Barnet band included [[Doc Severinsen]], [[Ray Wetzel]], Johnny Howell, and [[Rolf Ericson]]. Ferguson was featured on Barnet's recording of  "[[All The Things You Are]]" by [[Jerome Kern]]. The recording enraged Kern's widow and was withdrawn from sale.<ref name="cap">{{cite magazine |title=Cap Pulls Back Barnet Waxing of 'Things' |magazine=Billboard |date=4 March 1950 |page=22}}</ref>

===Kenton and Hollywood===
In January 1950, Kenton formed the Innovations Orchestra, a 40-piece jazz orchestra with strings.<ref name="AMG"/> After the folding of the Barnet band, Ferguson was available for the first rehearsal on January 1. One of the Orchestra's recordings was named "Maynard Ferguson," one of a series of pieces named after featured soloists. When Kenton returned to a more practical 19-piece jazz band, Ferguson continued with him at third chair with numerous solo features. Notable recordings from this period that feature Ferguson include "Invention for Guitar and Trumpet", "[[What's New?]]", and "[[The Hot Canary]]".

In 1953, Ferguson left Kenton and spent the next three years as principal trumpet for [[Paramount Pictures]].<ref name="New Grove">{{cite book|last1=Kernfeld|first1=Bernie|editor1-last=Kernfeld|editor1-first=Barry|title=The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz|date=2002|publisher=Grove's Dictionaries|location=New York|isbn=1-56159-284-6|page=750|volume=1|edition=2nd}}</ref> He appeared on 46 soundtracks, including ''[[The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|The Ten Commandments]]''. He also played on several other non-Paramount film soundtracks, usually those with jazz scores. Ferguson can clearly be discerned on several soundtracks from the time, including the [[Martin and Lewis]] films ''[[Living It Up]]'' and ''[[You're Never Too Young]].'' He still recorded jazz, but his Paramount contract prevented him from playing in jazz clubs. This was sometimes circumvented by appearing under aliases such as "Tiger Brown" or "Foxy Corby". Although he enjoyed the steady income, he was unhappy with the lack of live performance opportunities and left Paramount in 1956.{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}}

===The Birdland Dream Band===
Ferguson played with the [[Pérez Prado|Pérez Prado Orchestra]] on the LP ''Havana 3 A.M.'', recorded in February and March 1956. In 1956, he joined the Birdland Dream Band, a 14-piece big band formed by [[Morris Levy]] as an "all-star" line-up,<ref name="AMG"/> to play at Levy's [[Birdland (jazz club)|Birdland]] jazz club in New York City. Although the name "Birdland Dream Band" was short-lived and is represented by only two albums over the course of a year, this band became the core of Ferguson's performing band for the next nine years.

The band included [[Mike Abene]], [[Jaki Byard]], [[Bill Chase]], [[Ronnie Cuber]], [[Frankie Dunlop]], [[Don Ellis]], [[Joe Farrell]], [[Dusko Goykovich]], [[Tony Inzalaco]], [[Rufus "Speedy" Jones|Rufus Jones]], [[Willie Maiden]], [[Ron McClure]], [[Rob McConnell]], [[Don Menza]], [[Lanny Morgan]], [[Wayne Shorter]], and [[Joe Zawinul]]. Those who were both arrangers and performers included [[Herb Geller]], [[Slide Hampton]], [[Bill Holman (musician)|Bill Holman]], and [[Don Sebesky]].<ref name="New Grove" />

In 1959, Ferguson was a guest with the [[New York Philharmonic|New York Philharmonic Orchestra]] under the direction of [[Leonard Bernstein]], performing ''Symphony No. 2 in C "Titans"'' by [[William Russo (musician)|William Russo]].

In 1961, Ferguson composed the theme music for the 1961–1962 [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] adventure drama television series ''[[Straightaway (TV series)|Straightaway]]''. His 1961 album ''[["Straightaway" Jazz Themes]]'' contained the music he composed for the series.

As big bands declined in popularity and economic viability in the 1960s, Ferguson's band performed less frequently. He began to feel musically stifled and sensed a resistance to change among his American jazz audiences. According to an interview in ''[[DownBeat]]'', he was quoted as saying that if the band did not play "Maria" or "Ole," the fans went home disappointed. He began performing with a sextet before shutting down his big band in 1966.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.angelfire.com/ca/mferguson/PradoCDs.html|title=Perez Prado CDs with Maynard Ferguson|website=Angelfire.com|access-date=March 18, 2018}}</ref>

===Millbrook, India, and psychedelics===
After leaving his long-time recording contract and the end of his main club gig, Ferguson moved his family to the [[Hitchcock Estate]] in [[Millbrook, New York]] in November 1963 to live with [[Timothy Leary]], [[Ram Dass]], and their community from Harvard University. He and his wife Flo used LSD, [[psilocybin]] and other [[psychedelic drugs]]. They lived at Millbrook for about three years, playing clubs and recording several albums.<ref name="NYTobit">{{cite news|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|quote=After a trip or two to Timothy Leary's consciousness-altering community in Millbrook, Ferguson dissolved his band in 1967 and moved to India for a year.|title=Maynard Ferguson, 78, Trumpeter and Bandleader, Dies |author=Tim Weiner |date=August 25, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timothylearyarchives.org/interview-with-lisa-ferguson-millbrook-kid-and-director-of-children-of-the-revolution/|title=Interview with Lisa Ferguson – Millbrook Kid and Director of "Children of the Revolution" |date=February 9, 2009|website=Timothylearyarchives.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://maynardfergusonboard.yuku.com/reply/46720/Tim-Leary-Video#reply-46720 |title=Re Tim Leary Video in Maynard Ferguson and General Music Forum |quote=In 1963, Leary's invitation to Maynard to move into Millbrook's gatehouse allowed MF to pour whatever money he saved by moving out of the expensive Riverdale apartment back into the band, which by this time was floundering financially. Maynard also rehearsed the band in the gatehouse, thus saving on studio fees. There's a poignant moment in the MF Horn bio as Maynard recalls that daughter Lisa, then 5 years old, could nap even as the band played in the same room. Thus, Leary's generosity allowed the MF band to continue into 1964, when the two Cameo albums and the Mainstream album Color Him Wild were recorded with the remnants of the so-called Roulette band|website=Maynardfergusonboard.yuku.com|date=May 27, 2009 }}</ref> Ferguson was mentioned in ''[[The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test]]'', which detailed the psychedelic scene.

In 1967, as the Millbrook experiment was ending, Ferguson moved his family to India and taught at the [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]]-based [[Rishi Valley School]] near Madras. He was associated with the [[Sri Sathya Sai University|Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning]]'s Boys Brass Band, which he founded and helped teach for several years. While in India, he was influenced by [[Sathya Sai Baba]], whom he considered as his spiritual guru.<ref>{{cite web|title=Picture of Ferguson with the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning's Boys Brass Band |url=http://www.maynardferguson.com/images/exclusives/mfrare5.jpg|format=JPG |website=Maynardferguson.com|access-date=2014-01-28}}</ref>

===England and jazz rock===
As a Canadian in England, Ferguson avoided the union's ban on American musicians.<ref name="New Grove" /> In 1969, he moved to [[Oakley Green]], a hamlet on the outskirts of [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]], near London. He had two houses while he was in the UK, the final one a three-story house by the [[River Thames]]. That same year, Ferguson signed with CBS Records.

He started a sixteen- to eighteen-piece big band with British musicians playing jazz rock.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> The band got attention for its version of "[[MacArthur Park (song)|MacArthur Park]]" by Jim Webb. Ferguson's band made its North American debut in 1971.<ref name="New Grove" />

In 1970 he led the band on ''The Simon Dee Show'' from London Weekend Television.<ref>{{cite news|url = http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article1221906.ece|title = Maynard Ferguson, jazz trumpet maestro|access-date = December 31, 2006|author = Steve Voce|author-link = Steve Voce|date = August 26, 2006|newspaper= [[The Independent]]|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930210506/http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article1221906.ece|archive-date = September 30, 2007|df = mdy-all}}</ref>

===Return to the U.S.===
[[File:Maynard Ferguson.jpg|thumb|Ferguson in San Francisco, 1978]]
Ferguson moved to New York City in 1973, then relocated to [[Ojai, California]] less than two years later. He replaced the British band members with American musicians while reducing membership<ref name="New Grove" /> to twelve: four trumpets, two trombones, three saxophones, and a three-piece rhythm section. Albums from this period include ''[[M.F. Horn 4&5: Live At Jimmy's]]'' and [[Chameleon (Maynard Ferguson album)|''Chameleon'']], recorded in 1973 and 1974 in New York. Ferguson took advantage of the burgeoning jazz education movement by hiring musicians from colleges with jazz programs, such as [[Berklee College of Music]], [[North Texas State University]] and the [[University of Miami]]. He performed for young audiences and gave master classes in colleges and high schools. This strategy helped him develop an audience that sustained him for the rest of his career.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}

In 1975, Ferguson began working with [[Bob James (musician)|Bob James]] on a series of commercially successful albums with large groups of [[session musician]]s, including strings, vocalists, and guest soloists. The first of these albums was ''[[Primal Scream (Maynard Ferguson album)|Primal Scream]]'', featuring [[Chick Corea]], Mark Colby, [[Steve Gadd]], and [[Bobby Militello]]. The second, ''[[Conquistador (Maynard Ferguson album)|Conquistador]]'' (1976) yielded a No. 22 pop single, "[[Gonna Fly Now]]" from the movie ''[[Rocky]]'', earning him a gold album. He maintained a hectic touring schedule. The commercial success included adding a guitarist and an additional percussionist to his band's line-up. In mid-1976, Ferguson performed a solo trumpet piece for the closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Montreal, symbolically "blowing out the flame".

Ferguson became frustrated with Columbia over the inability to use his working band on albums, and to play jazz songs on them. His contract with Columbia ended after the release of the album ''Hollywood'' (1982), produced by bassist [[Stanley Clarke]]. During that time, he recorded an instrumental version of the [[Michael Jackson]] song "[[Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough]]"; the song would later be used by [[Rede Globo]] as the theme song of ''[[Vídeo Show]]'', which ran on the network between 1983 and 2019.

Ferguson recorded three big band albums with smaller labels before forming High Voltage, a fusion septet, in 1986.<ref name="AMG"/> This smaller ensemble, which featured multi-reed player Denis DiBlasio, gave Ferguson the freedom explore in a less structured format. High Voltage recorded two albums, produced by Jim Exon, his manager and son in law.

===Big Bop Nouveau===
To mark his 60th birthday in 1988, Maynard Ferguson returned to a large band format and to more mainstream jazz.<ref name="AMG"/> That then led to the formation of Big Bop Nouveau, a nine-piece band featuring two trumpets, one trombone, three reeds and a three-piece rhythm section which became his standard touring group for the remainder of his career.<ref name="AMG"/>  Later, due to the increasing responsibilities being placed on the trumpet players, the baritone sax position was replaced by a third trumpet player.  The band's repertoire included original jazz compositions and modern arrangements of jazz standards, with occasional pieces from his 1970s book and even modified charts from the Birdland Dream Band era; this format proved to be successful with audiences and critics. The band recorded extensively, including albums backing vocalists [[Diane Schuur]] and [[Michael Feinstein]].

Big Bop Nouveau toured the world extensively; in 2005 it embarked on a tour of eight months playing an average of two hundred shows a year. The group was tour managed by Memphis legend Ed Sargent, and mixed by audio mogul Mike Freeland. Although in later years Ferguson's playing occasionally lost some of the range and phenomenal accuracy of his youth, he always remained an exciting performer, touring an average of nine months a year with Big Bop Nouveau for the remainder of his life. Ferguson died on August 23, 2006.