Maynard Ferguson/ Chameleon

[aquila5659]

Mid 70's

[OnAPhoneProductions]

What are on his feet!?

[MrNflander]

To mstroup: there's no bass trombone! Maynard just used two tenors back in the day (mid-70's). The amazing low trombone sounds are from the late great Jerry Johnson (on the right, close up at 2:15). He could make the "false tones" sound as fat as any bass trombonist.

[morganhill69]

This too hot.

[catbackr]

That bass player was rocking out!

[CookMusic35]

it looks like the're in prison outfits...

[Kalestilez]

it's not blues, it's jazz-funk fusion. Get it straight folks (=

[mstroup]

Dig the sound of the bass trombone! Late 60s? Early 70s? This is one old video. Really fun!

[Berserkedy]

@mstroup I'm gonna go with late 70's!

[tpstrat14]

that band is the opposite of grooving....

[MrTrentonimo]

THE FUNK IS OVER WHELMING MY BODY

[jcosyn]

The song is from Hancock's brilliant "Head Hunters" album, which essentially started the jazz-funk genre. It's definitely not blues. It's jazz fusion, in the funk subgenre.

[bearsrule5]

It's actually a blues funk. More funk than blues though. This is considered one of the greatest funk songs ever written. Check out the original, herbie hancock's version, to see why it is so funky

[911fever]

need a time machine to go back to da club here.

the band and arrangement kill

[LivexLongxProsper]

6 people don't know good music any more<3

[deeaplw]

love maynard, and this song is a classic!

[JamesVdorf]

i heart bari sax

[qwerty2149]

MF is playing a Holton ST307.

[dJunGi]

It must have smelled in there...

[RandomHero486]

@dJunGi Mustve smelled a little funky...

[Ignika542]

holyyy shiz man! i mean im 13, and i can play double c's but i cnat imagine even being able to play triple c's. we truly did lose a trumpet legend when maynard died r.i.p. :')

[AdventureMan1001]

@Ignika542 Sure you can play double C's. LOL

How long have you been playing?

[mexicovasquez]

Who is that trumpet player at 1:04? It looks like Derek Watkins from the James Last Orchestra.

[mpracing4]

@mexicovasquez ... Bob Summers.

[EddieLandsberg]

Next to EDDIE JEFFERSON's funky vocal version, this is second BEST...!!!

[yomommafoo99]

5:58 WOW!

[IvanMoneypants]

is it me or does the bassist look like john lennon..?

[MASKANDPLAY]

@IvanMoneypants john lennon on bass and che guevara on first trombone

[PianoGod505]

music in the good days, :)

[SamHilland]

I have yet to see a video of Maynard with music. Has anyone ever seen him actually reading from music?

[SamHilland]

I have yet to see a video of Maynard with music.

[TheChaseair]

Maynard was kinda like the Elvis of trumpeters

[ur1sab]

Dan D'Imperio was a crappy drummer. No wonder he didn't last long in the band.

[tombat40]

@ur1sab Maybe he does but he had a great day recording the song on the album. I loved the drums on that record.

[kradxcore1989]

@farawayeyes dude it probably wasn't blck it was probably onix

[masterdevin80]

look at the bassist's face at 3:00.

[alirzb]

The bari player for Maynard Ferguson's big band, Bruce Johnstone, plays on a Rico Metallite mouthpiece that he has customed - faced. It has a tip opening of .150" (.130" is HUGE), and a #5 reed (3.5 is pretty stiff, 4 is too stiff for most) and the mouthpiece had a HUGE epoxy baffle to it...talk about a man of extremes!!

[farawayeyes5]

@alirzb What ever happened to Bruce Johnstone? His solos on "MF Horn 4 & 5 Live at Jimmy's" on "Stay Loose with Bruce" and "Nice and Juicy" made side 3 of the album my favorite Maynard Ferguson recordings of all time. And don't forget "Got the Spirit" on side 4. That guy was amazing. Then poof, he disappeared off the face of the Earth.

[alcgda]

I CAN BARELY HEAR THE BASS LINE!!! COME ON!!!

[youHenner]

well i like maynard ferguson. but thats not really funky to my mind

[talipification]

Б.Фергусон-величайший трубач и воспитатель молодых музыкантов

[dk215]

That must have been one ear-crackin' experience. But dead cool. That bass line only comes to life with the bass trombone. Yeah.

[jlevinson6]

I saw them live at Jimmy's around this time and at the Bottom Line. I remember screaming with excitement in response to how great they were.

[EmperorAckbar]

zomg nice outfits

[rameenafshardotcom]

noob, hes the guy in front ;-)

[phillipman12]

which one is Maynard Ferguson?

[neody14]

the guy wearing black suit..

[kolyanstepan]

Я торчу от этой вещи!!!

[Jpar4525]

awesome bassist

[fibes55]

The great Rick Petrone on bass!

[cjshisno7]

My dad can play just like Maynard Furg. My dads awesome like him :)

[craskal889]

i am playing this song in jazz band right now, and i would say that it's my favorite piece! at 4:19 though the tenor kinda messes up, but my solo's aren't perfect. he was good.

[hanj31]

@craskal889 this is a great song to start off with for solos because there are only two chords (in concert pitch) Bbmin7 and Eb7 alternating each bar.

[gazzomuso1235]

@craskal889 I think he may have done that on purpose actually.

[hellohellomooo]

good god he can scream on that thing... like with no difficulties at all  he was and always will be a pure legend

[1234BranderzManderz]

@hellohellomooo ooohhhh yes

[1234BranderzManderz]

@hellohellomooo have you heard gosphel john?

[angusmacsac]

All great musicians come from Canada

[SuaveTito]

@angusmacsac Well one more recently that people like to *think* is a musician. Maynard is the only reason we forgive Canada for that...thing.

[metalfool4295]

@angusmacsac and then justin bieber had to ruin the good canadian name

[ledzeppelin64]

This song > Maynard Ferguson's entire carrer.

[kilik41]

who is the sax player? who solos first

[bsmith2059]

@kilik41 - Tenor player - maybe Brian Smith

[gazzomuso1235]

@kilik41 He says Brian Smith

[mpracing4]

Trumpets Left to Right: Bob Summers, Lynn Nicholson, Stan Mark, Don Hahn and Ernie Garside.

[hanj31]

@mpracing4 the same bob summers from gordon goodwin's band? doesn't look like him!

[Grahammc48]

the trumpets left to right are ,unknown ,lynn nicholson,stan mark,unknown last trumpeter is Ernie gartside maynards manager

[bomberbandalumuni]

@Grahammc48 how do you know that ernie is maynards manager?

[Grahammc48]

@bomberbandalumuni

Bercause when Maynard came to live in UK in Stockport,Manchester Ernie a manchester based trumpet player played with him and became hi manager , i know i was ther e

[bomberbandalumuni]

thats cool

[wcdean728]

The far-left trumpet player is probably Bob Summers.

[Erebis15]

I love how everyone either has long hair or an afro, that's so awesome!

[yesahec]

What the name of the first trumpeter to the far left at 1:05? Does anyone know?

[leavitttrumpet]

Pretty Mike Vax is lead. He is in the middle.

[baseballkid4lyfe]

trippy!

[HaloSnipe0589]

that saxaphone solo was awesome! thats gona be me except with an alto and without a mustache lol

[sk8erxbloodxshed]

@HaloSnipe0589 its  saxophone brah

[Mattytheman91]

wow I wish our big band had that uniform :P

[kithkinavrien]

Real Book 2, Page 58.

[mcmmustangs]

we play this song in our pep band. i love it

[tjc197]

It's on a Bflat blues scale, but the solo key features intricate two-five progression and is mainly focused around the Bflat dorian scale. Also, some hip licks can be your own pattern of switchin' between the 9 and minor 3rd.

[revoltingmexican]

what's a Kamahlian?

[STTNT360]

wow its how u spell chameleon stupid

[Nicar526]

Pretty much how I remembered it

[categill]

He skated for most of the latter part of his life - Bill Chase - had he lived - would have outskilled the master

[farawayeyes5]

@categill I saw him many times, and actually I think his lead trumpeter Stan Mark was better than Maynard in the late seventies and early eighties. He actually had a special black trumpet made out of something different than brass I think to keep him from overpowering Maynard's lead the last time I saw him in 1980. Chase was amazing too, but Jimi Hendrix influenced rock music with a 5 man trumpet section was just doomed to commercial failure, regardless of his talent.

[maynardwaltrip]

@farawayeyes5 You can't be serious? Stan Mark better than Maynard in the late seventies and early eighties? LOL. Riiiiiiight.

[Broxbourne0rocks]

itss eassy peasy b flat blues scale. on an e flat sax it goes g,g,f,f,g,g,Bb,g, g, f, d,f, g, Bb,c....

[iJiggsy]

This song is still one of my favorite all time songs even though it is fairly simple. It is actually a really hard song to nail when recreating it. It's kinda like "Stairway To Heaven". Everyone down the block can play it, but average joe doesn't make it sound as good as it should.

[denzelmendoza]

Damn, guys, its just a Bb Blues scale (concert).

[TheRumster]

gotta love the grunt at 6:09

[bassjamz]

i love the bass guitars porn stache

[supernole100]

That was the 70's look man!!!

[FlamAccent1424]

the sax line at 1:11 is KILLER!!!!!!

[marshallrecords]

Chords are actually Bbm7 and Eb7.

[ateismi]

I would think the whole song II-V progression in Ab-major, but a would analysize that as I-IV progression in Bb-dorian. Chords are Bbm7 and C9 (dom7 in Ab major)

[lanceflatul]

You do know that this arrangement has been out for quite a few years now, don't you?

[DonTheTurtleDude]

my school band preformed this song. it is soo cool

[cesarbrass]

yeaahhhhhh!

[BD7492]

the one nex to the caveman t-bone looks like Chevy Chase! like one of his Fletch disguises!!

[BD7492]

no one is gettin into it! 'cept Maynord! c'mon guys groove!

[panthersquad]

it's cause they have to wear those shirts

[mike8086]

holy fuck eh, .look at these guys hahahaha awsome get up's!!!!!

[scouten45]

does any one kno wat key this is in cause i want to figure it out on my trombone?

[ktrum492]

it sounds like b-flat, but if I were you, I'd put it in e-flat cause I hear a lot of e-flats and a-flats in there too.

[E0Cullen]

It's on Eb.

[tyler2484]

It's all completely the B Flat blues scale on trumpet I know that.  so C Eb F F# G Bb C.

[nossgrd]

yeah dude whats up witbh people trying to analyze it, its fuckin blues bro

[tyler2484]

Yea so now you and I both know that. But they were asking keys and such so i just gave them the 6 or so notes used...not the key lol

[pamirs94]

its not blues. this is funk

[nossgrd]

ANY note goes

[Reinocerous25]

But it's on the blues scale

[pamirs94]

yeah

[djpako4ever]

@pamirs94 Jazz all day :)

[clinto5]

@pamirs94 It most certainly is not funk. It's a blues. They play the head twice, and then it's the solos. That's how a blues works.

[MrTrentonimo]

@clinto5 Actually you know in big band songs I hear two heads and then solos?

[gilmore307]

Its in Bb. The whole song pretty much alternates between Bb and Eb chords.

[pamirs94]

I-IV chord progression

[mocoyoyomocoyoyo]

yea¡

[edunn76]

Anybody know who the trombone player is pulling out those pedals??

[agf5000]

randy purcell

[bsmith2059]

eidco - Brian Smith did play Tenor for Maynard at one time (that's also my name).

[Trinition606]

That geico caveman sure can groove on that trombone. lol

[farawayeyes5]

@Trinition606 You should see the Gecco on piccolo

[tromba99]

@Trinition606 That "caveman" was Randy Purcell who was my jazz band director at Carnegie-Mellon University. An extremely talented musician who died way too young just a little while ago. RIP Randy.

[Trinition606]

@tromba99 My apologizes if I offended you. I'm sure he was a great man and an even better trombonist. Hell anyone who works hard enough mastering their instrument to be accepted into such a prestigious band is one hell of a person.

[kcirtapztifnosam228]

the tromboner on the left bares a striking resemblance to the Geiko caveman at 0:24 .........or is it just me??

[MikeeBoi433]

he passed away i think 2 summers ago?

[OKwaddell]

Are you sure? Really upsets me that we didn't stay in touch.  He came to see me in OK. I got to get on stage with him in KS when I was only 15 in the 70's. We wrote for several years. Thanks for the info.

[enlitened1234]

3:52 dig Lynn Nicholson's double c lip trills...

[baltostar1]

Lynn ?  Or Stan ?

[farawayeyes5]

@baltostar1 At that time, Lynn, 10 years later Stan

[jayecker1]

Who is the tenor player? Looks like Ernie Watts?

[eidco]

It sounds like Maynard said "Brian Smith". He looks a bit like Ernie Watts, but doesn't play like him.

[Maynardthe2nd]

hoo wee. I'm loving me some Stan Mark today. He lip trilled that high Eb in the opener like crazy, lol.

[OKwaddell]

Hey where is he today?

[OKwaddell]

I was talking about Stan not Maynard. Just to make sure.

[Jark2]

If that's a place in Buffalo I was there that night-or if Rochester, the same tour. Can't forget those red shirts!

[MoGreensEye]

Looks like Allan Zavod on keys and Danny Dimperio on drums. Killer band.

[porcaro4ever]

holy shit check out the friggin Eb @ 6:07!!! That's what seperated Maynard from all the other wanna be's. Man I miss him!

[TenorSaxy]

The 'after concert jam' classic. :D

[triz250rtecatedude]

man this is genuine maynard ferguson footage i got goosebumps :)

[SethJDukes]

Dude everyone in this band is sooooooo blazed when they're playing haha.

[xlfutur1]

All english band?  they don't sound very together. this is not as good as the US bands of the 70s

[menzoman]

I'm sorry, are you totally deaf?

[xlfutur1]

No, just too may beers the night I listened for the first time. :)

[tr0mbonistMike]

english? No. The lead trombone is randy purcell he's from pennsylvania. Please bruh.

[xlfutur1]

Ok, I misunderstood. An all english maynard band sounded a little fishy.

[WG164]

sound quality is pretty bad, wouldn't blame it on the band though.

[Tvon4]

Does anyone have sheet music for this song for tenor?

[mgtlg2011]

god damn thats a great song. I jammed through the whole thing on bass.

[flugelhornn]

MM: Regarding your comment of a week ago, I'm pretty sure the tenor soloist is Brian Smith, from New Zealand, one of the guys Maynard used in his "all-English" band of the early 70's, shortly after his sojourn in India with the yogi. I saw the band live several times back then & many times since. Oh yeah, first saw them in '66, just before Maynard hooked up with Timothy Leary!

[MelissaGansworth]

that bass trombone is amazing, those peddal tones were unbelieveable

[geekbeeterupper]

i concur i bet he had lots of fun

[ughxugh]

killin' itttt.

love this.

[wandobandtrombone]

we do this everyday after band practice for no reason

[bluesguy0524]

wow

MF looks downright mean at 6:18

amazing

[gunnarhardxcorekid]

i got to see maynard live in 2005, it was the best thing i've seen on a trumpet, to bad hes gone. hes well missed.

[MisterMarshmallow]

The tenor sax player who solos (I don't know who he is) is the person who made me want to play tenor sax! I also play trumpet, and Maynard is amazing... Too bad I never got to see him live... =( I heard he was a really nice guy, too.

[TenorSaxy]

OMG YOU PLAY TENOR AND TRUMPET TOO?! :D

i was always told that was unique and that nobody did that. glad to know i'm not alone. :)

[MisterMarshmallow]

Yay!

I record myself playing both parts and piano, use the drum tracks on Garage Band, and have my own combo. It's pretty sweet :)

[flugelhornn]

Pretty sure the tenor soloist is Brian Smith, one of the cats Maynard had in his "all-English" band of the early 70's. I saw that band several times. Smith was from New Zealand.

[geekbeeterupper]

good catch. maynard says it in the video by the way. just confirming

[lanceflatul]

See: Benny Carter

[geralddjembemartin]

good work by the trombones

sounds very phatt

[smgfootbal56]

kinda slow tempo...

[ughxugh]

This song isn't supposed to be fast...lol it's supposed to be nice and laid back.

[JokinJoe]

Nothing with Maynard in it is laid back... lol

[smgfootbal56]

oh srry my brother put that there cuz his jazz band played this song but they played it fast. it was kool!

[windowsvista1000]

Those trombones might be tired of the same rythem

[j9feline]

Maynard.

[Blurballfilmsfreak]

All Hail Manyard RIP Manyard Ferguson

I Play this song with my school band and it is the theme for our band. I love Chameleon Manyard's way

[benjystevenson]

why would jyi10's comment possibly be classed as spam? It's clearly just their opinion, regardless of whether people agree

[ComDisk16]

Classic.

[jyi10]

this sucks. wheres the funk? everything is so straight

[MisterMarshmallow]

I hope you are joking.

[awesomeisrick]

My thoughts exactly, Mister Marshmallow.

[blazerpoopersn]

yeah um this is jazz, you want funk, listen to something else lol