Requiescat in Pace - Maynard Ferguson (1928 – 2006)

One of the all time great jazz trumpeters, Maynard Ferguson, has died. According to the Globe and Mail,

“Someone just said, ‘Gabriel, move over to second trumpet,'” [friend and manager Steve] Schankman said from his St. Louis office. “He was the last of the greats. That era is closed. There is no Kenton, no Basie, no Ellington, and now, no Ferguson.” ... Ferguson, also a much admired teacher, became identified with ear-piercing power and dizzying high notes that he was still able to play with precision. He was named Down Beat magazine's “trumpeter of the year” three times.

In tribute here he is as a young man, with the Royal Canadians Big Band playing Round Midnight:
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