Maynard Ferguson - 2006 - M F Horn 2 (1972) - The Ballad Style

Maynard Ferguson - 2006 - M.F. Horn 2 (1972) & The Ballad Style of Maynard Ferguson (1969) FLAC

The two albums on this CD reissue from Vocalion were recorded during trumpeter Maynard Ferguson's "English period (1968-72). It was a time when Ferguson was trying a number of new things, some of which worked, and some of which didn't. The first eight tracks are from MF Horn 2, the others from The Ballad Style of Maynard Ferguson.
As one can readily hear on MF Horn, Ferguson had turned away from more traditional jazz and popular standards and toward such more recent pop songs as James Taylor's "Country Road, John Lennon's "Mother, Isaac Hayes' "Theme from Shaft, David Clayton-Thomas' "Spinning Wheel and Lennon/McCartney's "Hey Jude. I have no problem with that, and there's no doubting the power or proficiency of Ferguson's ensemble, which was comprised of top-notch British musicians.
The problem I have with the album, as true with the reissue as it was with the initial release more than three decades ago, is the sound. For some reason, perhaps to accentuate the band's muscularity, reverb has been greatly over-used, lending the enterprise an unpleasant echo-chamber effect. On top of that, Ferguson and the other soloists are often short-changed, sounding at times as though they were playing in a nearby room.
The overall balance is definitely weighted toward the rhythm section at the expense of brass and reeds, and toward both at the expense of soloists, especially at faster tempos (it's not quite as conspicuous, for example, on Michel Legrand's ballad, "The Summer Knows ). If you can clear that hurdle, you should find MF Horn 2 generally rewarding (in spite of the vulgar vocal shenanigans and over-the-top coda on "Hey Jude ).
Sonically, The Ballad Style offers more of the same—Ferguson's over-brightened trumpet, encompassed on this occasion by a string orchestra conducted by Keith Mansfield. The album is all but devoid of improvisation, as Ferguson plays mostly the melodies while the strings provide the backdrop. There are some mandatory high notes, but not as many as one might anticipate.
There's a version of "Maria from West Side Story, but the ones performed with Ferguson's own band are more gratifying. Most of the other themes are quite familiar, from "Born Free and "Girl Talk to "The Impossible Dream, "As Long as He Needs Me, Lennon/McCartney's "The Fool on the Hill and Paul Simon's "The Sound of Silence. Mansfield's arrangements are bland and syrupy, and Ferguson hardly works up a sweat. Innocuous background music for elevators or waiting rooms.
Track Listing: Give It One; Country Road; Theme from Shaft; The Summer Knows; Mother; Spinning Wheel; Free Wheeler; Hey Jude; Born Free; Girl Talk; If He Walked Into My Life; The Fool on the Hill; The Impossible Dream; Somewhere; Maria; As Long as He Needs Me; Hushabye Mountain; The Sound of Silence; You Only Live Twice (76:38).
Personnel: MF Horn 2 - Maynard Ferguson: leader, trumpet, flugelhorn, valve trombone; John Donnelly, Martin Drover, Alan Downey, Mike Bailey, Bud Parks: trumpet; Billy Graham, Adrian Drover, Norman Fripp, Derek Wadsworth: trombone; Jeff Daly, Brian Smith, Bob Sydor, Bob Watson, Stan Robinson: reeds; Pete Jackson: piano, electric piano; Dave Lynane: bass, bass guitar; Randy Jones: drums; Ray Cooper, Harold Fisher: percussion. The Ballad Style - Maynard Ferguson: trumpet, with the Keith Mansfield Orchestra conducted by Alan Moorhouse. (AllAboutJazz)

Track list:
01 - Give It One
02 - Country Road
03 - Theme From Shaft
04 - The Summer Knows - Theme From Summer Of 42
05 - Mother
06 - Spinning Wheel
07 - Free Wheeler
08 - Hey Jude
09 - Born Free
10 - Girl Talk
11 - If He Walked Into My Life
12 - The Fool On The Hill
13 - The Impossible Dream
14 - Somewhere
15 - Maria
16 - As Long As He Needs Me
17 - Hushabye Mountain
18 - The Sound Of Silence
19 - You Only Live Twice

Split with Medieval. Sorry.
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