Maynard Ferguson – Scream Machine

Walter Maynard Ferguson, best know for his extreme high register control on trumpet, was a Canadian jazz trumpet player and bandleader. Born in Verdun, Quebec (now part of Montreal) Maynard by the age of four was playing piano and violin but at 9 years of age he switched to cornet. At age thirteen, Maynard first soloed as a child prodigy with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Orchestra and was heard frequently on the CBC, notably featured on a “Serenade for Trumpet in Jazz” written for him by Morris Davis. Maynard won a scholarship to the French Conservatory of Music where he studied from 1943 through 1948 with Bernard Baker. Maynard dropped out of Montreal High School at age 15 to more actively pursue a music career, performing in dance bands led by Stan Wood, Roland David, and Johnny Holmes. During this period, Maynard came to the attention of numerous American bandleaders and began receiving offers to come to the United States. Maynard moved to the United States in 1949 and initially played with the bands of Boyd Raeburn, Jimmy Dorsey, and Charlie Barnet. The Barnet band was notable for a trumpet section that also included Doc Severinsen, Ray Wetzel, Johnny Howell, and Rolf Erickson. When Barnet temporarily retired in 1949 and disbanded his orchestra, Maynard was free to accept an offer to join Stan Kenton’s newly formed Innovations Orchestra, a 40-piece jazz concert orchestra with strings. While the Innovations Orchestra was not commercially successful, it made a …
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