I just picked up the Vocalion two-fer reissue of these Maynard Ferguson albums on CD: M.F. Horn 2 and The Ballad Style of Maynard Ferguson.  First impression: the CD sounds pretty good, although I do detect some digital noise reduction (given a “swirly” type of noise in the background, like I’ve heard with digital filters).  It doesn’t seem to have fallen victim to the ultra-maximized sound of so many recent discs, and the EQ seems tame.  The music?

Ever since we had played a marching band version of the song “Give It One”, I’ve been quite taken by it.  Unfortunately, the only way I’d heard it was via a noisy LP, purchased new (gotta love 70s vinyl)…but the song kicks out regardless.  As much as I like the superior Roulette era recordings, along with the M.F. Horn series on Columbia, “Give It One” is by far my favorite M.F. track of all time: roughly 3½ minutes of pure, driving, big-band adrenalin rush.  If I ever had a theme song, this would definitely be in the running!

The rest of the album is typical of Maynard’s recordings of this era: some good originals (like “Country Road”, another track we played in our big band), and some solid arrangements of contemporary hits of the day (“Theme from Shaft”, John Lennon’s “Mother”, “Spinning Wheel”, etc.)  I’ve always had a fond spot for this album, and it’s nice to finally hear it in a cleaner version.  The only caveat:  “Country Road” has some of the Rhodes piano intro cut off.

I wish I could be as kind toward The Ballad Style of Maynard Ferguson.  I’d never heard this album before, and now I know why:  it just doesn’t quite work.  Recorded in 1968 for CBS Records, with the Keith Mansfield Orchestra, Maynard basically blows ballads over a backing of strings and horns.  It’s almost an M.O.R. moment, despite Maynard’s fiery playing.  Not to knock any of the participants, but Maynard could have done better–his fiery style just doesn’t fit a backdrop of string accompaniment in this manner.   Some of the songs work better than others, where he is more subdued–“Girl Talk” is my favorite on the album.  For others, like “Somewhere” and “Maria” from West Side Story, the result is a bit overblown for my taste.  This one won’t get much play time here at Casa Rudy, but it’s still a good piece to have in the collection, given that it is not all that easy to find on vinyl these days.

View this album on Amazon–click here!