For the Brady Bunch, that would have been jazz trumpeter and bandleader Maynard Ferguson, who was appearing with his orchestra at Musicarnival near Cleveland. We were big fans of Maynard in our family (my brothers and I all played trumpet).
Dad was a fan too, which wasn't surprising, since Maynard used to be a member of Stan Kenton's orchestra in the early 1950s. Dad loved Kenton's bold, brassy style of jazz, and he had several Kenton 78 rpm records in his collection. It's kind of funny that Mom confessed to me in later years that she didn't care for the Kenton sound too much.
My older brother Ken, who was a very talented jazz trumpeter, was very much inspired by Maynard's exciting style of performing, especially with the emphasis on notes in the high register. Ken adopted that musical style and, as a result, the Admiral King Stage Band enjoyed some high-profile years in the mid-1970s, winning regional awards.
Although my family did not catch Maynard's August 1964 performance at Musicarnival, we collected his records and saw him many times in the 1970s (including a January 1977 appearance at Lakewood High School).
Elsewhere on the Journal Entertainment page – as usual – are several establishments and clubs that I've written about, including Vian's; Lincoln Park; Lorain Arena; Colony Bar; Maple Inn; The Note; and Mister S.
For a taste of what Maynard's performance at Musicarnival was like, here's a recording of him and his band circa 1963.
6 comments:
Maynard Ferguson (and his orchestra) played at the college I attended back in the (19)70s. He kicked things off with the theme to Star Trek.
Unlike the album cut, the live performance of the piece began with the sound the USS Enterprise's made when under strain. I looked around and everyone was moving back and forth in their chairs like they were sitting on the bridge of a struggling starship. I kept expecting to hear Scotty "They canna take much more a' this, Cap'n!"
I liked M.F., but was also fond of Don Ellis who was a little further "out there." And early Miles Davis... so smoooth.
The older I get, the more I prefer Harry James & his ilk.
I have some of Ferguson's records, but I really would have been interested in the Duke Ellington band.
Stan Kenton was really good when June Christy sang lead.Tampico was his biggest hit ever, featuring June.
I saw Mike Earlier listed as a disk jockey; he was one of the main announcers at WJKW Channel 8 in the Seventies and Eighties.
Marlier.
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