Tracklisting:
A1 - Gonna Fly Now (Theme From "Rocky") 4:22
A2 - Mister Mellow 6:33
A3 - Theme From Star Trek 4:30
B1 - Conquistador 7:34
B2 - Soar Like An Eagle 6:27
B3 - The Fly 6:17
Personnel & Credits:
Arranged By - Bob James (tracks: B2) , Jay Chattaway (tracks: A1 to B1, B3)
Bass - Gary King , Gordon Johnson , Will Lee
Drums - Allan Schwartzberg , Harvey Mason , Peter Erskine
Engineer - Joe Jorgensen
Flugelhorn [Solo] - Maynard Ferguson (tracks: A2)
Flute [Solo] - Bobby Militello (tracks: A3)
French Horn - Brooks Tillotson , Donald Corrado
Guitar - Eric Gale , George Benson , Jeff Layton , Lance Quinn
Guitar [Solo] - George Benson (tracks: A2) , Jeff Layton (tracks: A1)
Keyboards - Biff Hannon , Bob James , Kenny Ascher
Mastered By - Vladimir Meller
Other [Sound] - Tony Romano
Percussion - Ralph MacDonald
Percussion [Parade Drum] - Phil Kraus
Piano [Solo] - Bob James (tracks: B2)
Producer - Jay Chattaway
Saxophone [Alto] - George Young, Mike Migliore
Saxophone [Baritone] - Bobby Militello
Saxophone [Soprano Solo] - Mike Migliore (tracks: B3)
Saxophone [Soprano] - Mark Colby , Mike Migliore
Saxophone [Tenor Solo] - Mark Colby (tracks: B2) , Stan Mark (tracks: B1)
Saxophone [Tenor] - Joe Farrell , Mark Colby
Strings - Alan Shulman , Albert Scheonmaker , Alfred Brown , Charles Libove , Charles McCracken , David Nadien,
Emanuel Vardi , Eugene Noye , Harold Kohon , Harry Cykman , Harry Lookofsky , Marvin Morgenstern , Matthew Raimondi,
Max Ellen , Max Pollikoff , Paul Gershman , Richard Sortomme
Trombone - Dave Taylor, Julian Priester , Paul Faulise , Randy Purcell , Roger Homefield , Wayne Andre
Trumpet - Alan Rubin , Bernie Glow , Dennis Noday , Jim Bossy , Guiseppe Loon P. Mosello , Jon Faddis,
Marky Markowitz , Marvin Stamm , Randy Brecker , Ron Tooley , Stan Mark
Trumpet [Calls] - Dennis Noday (tracks: B1) , Joe Mosello (tracks: B1) , Ron Tooley (tracks: B1), Stan Mark (tracks: B1)
Trumpet [Solo] - Maynard Ferguson (tracks: A1, A3 to B3)
Vocals - Ellen Bernfeld , Gwen Guthrie , Lani Groves , Linda November , Martin Nelson,
Patti Austin , Richard Berg, Vivian Cherry
Notes:
Mastered at CBS, N.Y. CBS Studios.
Recorded at Media Sound, NYC.
CBS Studios, San Francisco, Ca.
Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco, Ca.
Review:
Maynard was shrewd, and Maynard was quick, and he managed to beat almost everyone to the punch sorry when he recorded the theme from Rocky and watched it rise to number 28 on the pop charts. As blatant as Ferguson’s rendition is, it was still the best rendition of the Bill Conti tune at the time (a lot better than the composer’s own number one version) and Maynard Ferguson’s heroic propensity for high notes and his underdog status as a hitmaker make it easy to link him with his celluloid counterpart. It is also the best track on an otherwise overloaded Jay Chattaway production, where the combination of the chrome-plated Chattaway hand and list of noted supporting players (George Benson, Joe Farrell, Bob James, the young Jon Faddis, Julian Priester, Harvey Mason, etc.) nearly overwhelms the Ferguson big band and even Ferguson himself.
The title track has a certain flamboyant grandeur emanating both from Ferguson and the electronic brigade that dominates the tune, yet Benson’s fluid cameo and Ferguson’s obbligatos are wasted by the irritating female voices on “Mister Mellow.” This record gave Maynard Ferguson the largest amount ofexposure that he ever had; the Faustian tradeoff is that it often sounds gimmicky today.
By Richard S. Ginell
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)
A1 - Gonna Fly Now (Theme From "Rocky") 4:22
A2 - Mister Mellow 6:33
A3 - Theme From Star Trek 4:30
B1 - Conquistador 7:34
B2 - Soar Like An Eagle 6:27
B3 - The Fly 6:17
Personnel & Credits:
Arranged By - Bob James (tracks: B2) , Jay Chattaway (tracks: A1 to B1, B3)
Bass - Gary King , Gordon Johnson , Will Lee
Drums - Allan Schwartzberg , Harvey Mason , Peter Erskine
Engineer - Joe Jorgensen
Flugelhorn [Solo] - Maynard Ferguson (tracks: A2)
Flute [Solo] - Bobby Militello (tracks: A3)
French Horn - Brooks Tillotson , Donald Corrado
Guitar - Eric Gale , George Benson , Jeff Layton , Lance Quinn
Guitar [Solo] - George Benson (tracks: A2) , Jeff Layton (tracks: A1)
Keyboards - Biff Hannon , Bob James , Kenny Ascher
Mastered By - Vladimir Meller
Other [Sound] - Tony Romano
Percussion - Ralph MacDonald
Percussion [Parade Drum] - Phil Kraus
Piano [Solo] - Bob James (tracks: B2)
Producer - Jay Chattaway
Saxophone [Alto] - George Young, Mike Migliore
Saxophone [Baritone] - Bobby Militello
Saxophone [Soprano Solo] - Mike Migliore (tracks: B3)
Saxophone [Soprano] - Mark Colby , Mike Migliore
Saxophone [Tenor Solo] - Mark Colby (tracks: B2) , Stan Mark (tracks: B1)
Saxophone [Tenor] - Joe Farrell , Mark Colby
Strings - Alan Shulman , Albert Scheonmaker , Alfred Brown , Charles Libove , Charles McCracken , David Nadien,
Emanuel Vardi , Eugene Noye , Harold Kohon , Harry Cykman , Harry Lookofsky , Marvin Morgenstern , Matthew Raimondi,
Max Ellen , Max Pollikoff , Paul Gershman , Richard Sortomme
Trombone - Dave Taylor, Julian Priester , Paul Faulise , Randy Purcell , Roger Homefield , Wayne Andre
Trumpet - Alan Rubin , Bernie Glow , Dennis Noday , Jim Bossy , Guiseppe Loon P. Mosello , Jon Faddis,
Marky Markowitz , Marvin Stamm , Randy Brecker , Ron Tooley , Stan Mark
Trumpet [Calls] - Dennis Noday (tracks: B1) , Joe Mosello (tracks: B1) , Ron Tooley (tracks: B1), Stan Mark (tracks: B1)
Trumpet [Solo] - Maynard Ferguson (tracks: A1, A3 to B3)
Vocals - Ellen Bernfeld , Gwen Guthrie , Lani Groves , Linda November , Martin Nelson,
Patti Austin , Richard Berg, Vivian Cherry
Notes:
Mastered at CBS, N.Y. CBS Studios.
Recorded at Media Sound, NYC.
CBS Studios, San Francisco, Ca.
Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco, Ca.
Review:
Maynard was shrewd, and Maynard was quick, and he managed to beat almost everyone to the punch sorry when he recorded the theme from Rocky and watched it rise to number 28 on the pop charts. As blatant as Ferguson’s rendition is, it was still the best rendition of the Bill Conti tune at the time (a lot better than the composer’s own number one version) and Maynard Ferguson’s heroic propensity for high notes and his underdog status as a hitmaker make it easy to link him with his celluloid counterpart. It is also the best track on an otherwise overloaded Jay Chattaway production, where the combination of the chrome-plated Chattaway hand and list of noted supporting players (George Benson, Joe Farrell, Bob James, the young Jon Faddis, Julian Priester, Harvey Mason, etc.) nearly overwhelms the Ferguson big band and even Ferguson himself.
The title track has a certain flamboyant grandeur emanating both from Ferguson and the electronic brigade that dominates the tune, yet Benson’s fluid cameo and Ferguson’s obbligatos are wasted by the irritating female voices on “Mister Mellow.” This record gave Maynard Ferguson the largest amount ofexposure that he ever had; the Faustian tradeoff is that it often sounds gimmicky today.
By Richard S. Ginell
(AMG. Copyright © 2010 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.)
By Celo
