Oneonta Gets in the Groove with Maynard Ferguson
--Printed March 24, 2004
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It may have been a chilly, snowy evening in Oneonta, but inside the Hunt College Union Ballroom, it couldn’t have gotten any hotter. March 21 marked the day when the legendary Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band stopped by for awhile and shared their great music with the Oneonta community. With just a small admission fee of $5 for general admission and $2 with SAC card, 350 people of all ages enjoyed recognizable favorites and some newer tunes encompassing the band’s unique sound. Kicking off the concert at 8 p.m., was trumpeter Carl Fischer and music director, trombonist Reggie Watkins who played pieces from each of their albums, "Carl Fischer and the Organic Groove" and "A-list," respectively. Along with pianist William Bonness, bass guitarist Craig Butterfield, and drummer Stockton Helbing, Fischer and Watkins got the audience’s blood pumping with solos and battling duets, such as in "Renaissance Man." The edgy rips and glissandos continued as Watkins introduced Maynard Ferguson proudly holding his golden trumpet, who kicked things up another notch with "It Don’t Mean a Thing, If it Ain’t Got That Swing." Ferguson amazed the audience as he still had his magic touch of effortlessly reaching super high notes at the age of 75. Under the flashing red and orange lights, the song spotlighted Bonnes and alto saxophonist Julio Monterrey.
  Next was a slower, soulful tune, "Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone." It was the kind of song, where if one closed their eyes, it felt as if the musicians were on a street on a rainy day, crying their hearts out. After Fischer and tenor saxophonist Juan Turros sang their story with music, Ferguson returned to center stage and put-out another one of his infamous high notes. After the audience was psyched out from a blacked out stage, the band finished the song louder and stronger with infectious energy. "The Girl from Ipanema" was a song arranged by Watkins for guest alto saxophonist, Mike Dubaniewicz. Dubaniewicz, former musical director with the Big Bop Nouveau Band, joined Ferguson in a duet as they played this sweet piece dedicated to Dubaniewicz’s daughter, Alexandria. Ferguson doubled on his trumpet and the deeper, warmer pitched flugelhorn in a solo, before the stage was cleared for Helbing to take the song away with some interesting, hypnotic beats. "Playing the drums is a non-melodic instrument, and to make it more accessible to people you have to find ways fake melodic-ness and try to do cheesy stuff and to fool them into thinking I know what doing when I really might not," said Helbing.
Photograph by Ryan Yoon
HITTING THE HIGH ONES: At 75, legendary Maynard Ferguson still performs like the pro he is.
As their "jazz fusion" style of music (parts jazz, rock and pop) continued, the band turned back time and played songs, as Ferguson jokingly put it, that were responsible for his wealth. "Gonna Fly Now" from Rocky was just one of the many upbeat melodies as the medley was opened by Patrick Hession screaming some seriously high notes on his trumpet. This eventually led to the first grand finale with "Hey Jude." All three trumpeters, Fischer, Hession and Keith Fiala, performed a surround sound-like feature for the audience. After every high double D was hit was hit, the lights went down, but the audience wanted more, so a second trip down memory land was taken with classic jazz tune, "Birdland." Junior Jim Guarino of SUNY Oneonta was thoroughly captivated that night. "I thought it was an excellent performance capable of energizing the audience!"
  Originally from Montreal, Canada, Ferguson has been an inspiration to so many people, including his own band mates. "I always knew that I would be in Maynard’s band; it was just destined to be," said Hession.
  Even though they, like many upcoming artists, frown upon music piracy, the band thoroughly enjoys getting their music out to all kinds of kinds of listeners, since many of their venues include colleges, secondary and primary schools. "Look at Maynard, he’s the educational specialist. He’s been going around to schools for 50 years,” said Fischer. “I’ve been on and off with him for 10 years and gone to schools and have seen kids grow up—It’s freaky but it’s a  really positive thing.”
  “Music education is part of being a well-rounded individual, along with mathematics and reading, vocabulary, it makes complete, makes you think on your feet," said Watkins. "When someone says, ‘I’m going to go practice now,’ it just felt as if the music isn’t going to die."