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Maynard Ferguson
Chameleon
(Columbia/Legacy)
Maynard Ferguson
Conquistador
(Columbia/Legacy)
First Appeared at The Music Box, January 2004, Volume 11, #1
Written by John Metzger
Trumpeter Maynard Ferguson has been performing for well over 50 years, first
rising to prominence as a member of Stan Kenton’s Innovations in Modern Music
Orchestra where he drew tremendous attention for his exquisite range.
Specifically, he was able to hit notes that were higher, stronger, and more
accurate than anyone else. Subsequently, he began his solo career by leading his
own big band, and it was to this format that he returned in 1988 with Big Bop
Nouveau. In between, he tore into jazz-fusion with a vengeance, placing a heavy
emphasis on rock songs as well as Eastern mysticism — he had been hanging out
with Timothy Leary in upstate New York — and his albums increasingly were
peppered with cover tunes, including renditions of Laura Nyro’s Eli’s Coming,
The Beatles’ Hey Jude, and John Lennon’s Mother. By the mid-1970s, however,
Ferguson let his commercial aspirations get the best of him. He continued to
change and adapt along with popular music, and his star power temporarily soared
as a result of it. Although his abilities remained quite strong, his song
selections and arrangements caused him to become a bit of a parody of his former
self, hurting his legacy in the process.
Two albums from this period — Chameleon and Conquistador — were recently remastered and reissued, and each showcases some of the best and worst aspects
about Ferguson’s music during this era of his career. Without a doubt, the
negatives are neatly highlighted via the first three tracks on Conquistador.
True, Ferguson’s rendition of Gonna Fly Now (Theme from "Rocky") is definitive —
it climbed to #28 on the pop charts — but that means little. Faring even worse
are the largely unnecessary, disco-fied Theme from "Star Trek" — yes, it really
did get this silly in 1977 — and the tedious lounge jazz of Mister Mellow, which
would sound far better without the dated female vocal accompaniment. Of course,
Chameleon had its share of duds as well, including a routine reading of Paul
McCartney’s Jet and Ferguson’s barely passable vocal outing on the Vernon
Duke/Ira Gershwin tune I Can’t Get Started. At the other end of the spectrum
were the funked-out bliss of Herbie Hancock’s Chameleon, a spicy take on Chick Corea’s
La Fiesta, and the swinging Superbone Meets the Badman — all from
Chameleon — as well as Conquistador’s powerful title track and the frenetic
The Fly.
There’s little doubt that Chameleon is by far the better of the two outings
since much of Conquistador is compromised by its pop-production style. While
both albums do have their moments, they also are hardly essential fare for fans
of either jazz-fusion or Maynard Ferguson.
Chameleon —  ½
Conquistador —
Chameleon is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Conquistador is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2003
The Music Box
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