The Best of Maynard Ferguson

The Best of Maynard Ferguson
Compilation album by
Maynard Ferguson
Released1980
GenreJazz, big band, bop
Length54:10
LabelColumbia
Maynard Ferguson chronology
Hot
(1979) 		The Best of Maynard Ferguson
(1980) 		It's My Time
(1980)

The Best of Maynard Ferguson is the first compilation album and 13th overall by Canadian jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson on Columbia Records.[1] The 1980 release opens with Maynard's biggest hit "Gonna Fly Now", before going on a tour of some of his best work for Columbia, featuring no less than 4 major theme songs along the way.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [2]

The Best of Maynard Ferguson was not only an attempt to profit from Maynard's Columbia catalog while he was still in the public eye, it was an opportunity entice listeners to look beyond "Gonna Fly Now", and discover what came both before and after it. As AllMusic's Thom Jurek put it, "For the sake of argument, we'll look at this compilation as a decent if imperfect collection of the period of his greatest popularity..."[2]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Gonna Fly Now (Theme from "Rocky")"Bill Conti, Carol Connors, Ayn RobbinsConquistador4:22
2."MacArthur Park"Jimmy WebbM.F. Horn 4&5: Live At Jimmy's8:27
3."Theme from Star Trek"Alexander Courage, Gene RoddenberryHot5:04
4."Birdland"Joe ZawinulCarnival5:35
5."Give It One"Alan Downey, Maynard FergusonM.F. Horn Two3:30
Total length:26:58
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Stella by Starlight"Victor Young, Ned WashingtonCarnival7:16
2."Theme from "Battlestar Galactica""Stu Phillips, Glen A. LarsonCarnival5:53
3."Pagliacci" (Adapted by Jay Chattaway from the aria Vesti la giubba)Ruggiero LeoncavalloPrimal Scream5:53
4."Main Title (From the 20th Century-Fox Film "Star Wars")"John WilliamsNew Vintage4:10
5."Airegin"Sonny RollinsNew Vintage4:00
Total length:27:12

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Ferguson, Maynard (1980). The Best of Maynard Ferguson (album). Columbia. JC 36361.
  2. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. The Best of Maynard Ferguson at AllMusic. Retrieved July 12, 2015.


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