There's nothing quite as cool as getting new music from one of your favorite artists.

 

But maybe even cooler, is getting new old music from them. Stuff that, for one reason or another, was left in the vaults and never released.

 

Such is the case with Maynard Ferguson - The Lost Tapes Volume One.

 

 

This is a great collection of unreleased live recordings and demos from the late 60's - early 70's. Recorded by Maynard's manager at the time, Ernie Garside, these tapes - dozens of them - have been sitting in a trunk for the past 35-40 years. Now, some of them are being released on CD.

 

Even though time hasn't been kind to the reel-to-reel tapes, and it's obvious none of these recordings were ever intended for commercial release, it's still a real treat to be able to hear them now. There's a raw power and energy with live music that studio recordings never seem to capture. The performances are vivid and exciting, with the musicians being able to explore and have fun in ways that wouldn't be practical in a studio setting. These were candid, one-off performances, and are presented warts and all.

 

The best part is that a number of these songs were never released on an album, so the only way to have heard them before was in concert. For those around at the time, it's a trip down memory lane. For those of us who came into it later, it's a whole new voyage of discovery. In either case, it's a win-win situation.

 

My only minor quibble, besides the degradation of the source tapes, is that in the liner notes (which are otherwise excellent, and full of rare photos) neglected to include the dates these were recorded. That's a pretty bizarre omission for a collection like this.

 

Perhaps the best news though, is that this is "Volume One". There are many, many more recordings to come, provided Sleepy Night Records can sell enough of the first volume. At last report, they were within a mere 40 copies, so that's a very good sign indeed.

 

A few audio clips are available on their website. If you're into jazz, this is well worth picking up. (Especially to get us closer to Volume Two!)

 

Definitely have to give this one a 9/10.

(Update: this album is now also available on iTunes.)

 

Also, a 1970 TV special The World of Maynard Ferguson will be seeing a DVD release soon. There are

on YouTube from it, but they're all of poor quality. The DVD version was dubbed from the original 16 mm film a few years ago, and is reportedly of excellent quality.

 

* Yeah baby! Get in the groove!