Maynard Ferguson
May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006
Maynard Ferguson was a highly regarded Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He has been noted for his ability to play in an extremely high register and for being one of the few jazz musicians who could easily adapt to the constantly changing musical landscape. He began his career as a child prodigy in 1939 – he dropped out of school at 15 to put his focus on his music. By the time he was twenty, Ferguson was living in the U.S. where he landed his first jobs with Jimmy Dorsey and Charlie Barnet, and about a year later he was hired to play in Stan Kenton’s orchestra. During the ’60s, he moved to Europe, but returned to the U.S. in the ’70s and landed a pop hit with his rendition of “Gonna Fly” from the Rocky film. He continued recording and touring up until the final years of his life. On August 23, 2006, Maynard Ferguson died of kidney and liver failure which were the result of an abdominal infection. He was 78.
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