Negative Positive
Title: Classic jazz with chops
Review: This album contains lots of great big-band sound and historically important music, all characterized by Maynard Ferguson's full-bore stratospheric high register. This guy had his chops from an early age and wasn't afraid to run with them. Those of you who grew up listening to Ferguson's edgy jazz-rock (Chameleon, Primal Scream) or pop ("Star Wars" theme, et al) should give this a listen even if you don't think you like the more traditional big-band music. Just hearing Ferguson take control and blast out his solos will be worth it. Who knows, you might decide that Stan Kenton's worth listening to after all.Sound quality here is surprisingly good except for a few radio recordings that just weren't preserved well. Although most of these songs are top-notch, "The Band Ain't Draggin'" and "Wow" are, well, kind of dorky. "Draggin'" does feature some nice trumpet work, which makes it worth listening to. Hey, nobody's perfect and this is still a five-star collection.
Is the review positive or negative? 