Label Artists

Maynard Ferguson

Jazz legend Maynard Ferguson far surpasses the title "trumpet player"; he is an internationally famous big-band leader, one of the world's great brass players, and instrument designer, record producer, composer, arranger, producer of film soundtracks, and dedicated teacher.

He is also a three-time Grammy Award nominee and Down Beat magazine award winner. The prolific bandleader has recorded over 60 albums in his lifetime. The alumni list of his band members over four decades reads like a Who's Who of the jazz world: Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione, Bill Chase, Bob James, Slide Hampton, Wayne Shorter, Greg Bissonette, Peter Erskine, Joe Zawinul, Willie Maiden, and Don Ellis are just some of the greats Ferguson's bands have bred.

Ferguson emerged from big-band swing and worked his way through jazz, bebop, rock, funk, disco, and fusion. When he wasn't actually playing his horn, he conducted, cueing his men, or just snapped his fingers and enjoyed the music. He has been a hustler, a tireless worker, and remarkably generous with his musical abilities.

Few careers have spanned so many different forms of music, tribute indeed to Ferguson's flexibility and staying power.

In 1968 and 1969 Ferguson taught at the Krishnamurtl-based Rhishi Valley School near Madras, India, which widened both his spiritual and musical horizons. He took his family with him to India, and they eventually moved to England.

There Ferguson toured as the leader of a band called Top Brass. He also manufactured personally designed trumpets and mouthpieces from his home in Manchester. This lead to a friendship with Ernie Garside who was responsible for managing MF and helped him put together British Big Band which started the new phase of his career.

In 1969 Ernie Garside arranged for Ferguson to sign with CBS Records in England and created a repertoire for his new British band in which pop and rock songs were rearranged into a big band format, with electronic amplification. This was Ferguson's response to the psychedelic sixties. He produced contemporary arrangements of late 1960s and early 1970s hits like "MacArthur Park" and the Beatles' "Hey Jude." Ferguson's recording of "Gonna Fly Now," - the theme from the hit film Rocky - catapulted Maynard into mainstream popularity with a Top-10 single, a gold album, and a Grammy nomination in 1978.

His album Conquistador, from which "Gonna Fly Now" sprang, earned Ferguson an unusual place in the history of music; with Conquistador, he alone was able to crack the pop charts in 1977. Ferguson's efforts helped rekindle the public's interest in big bands; his fanfare solos, along with his expertise on several brass instruments - often demonstrated in a single performance - set a dazzling example of sheer technical virtuosity.

Maynard Ferguson died in August 2006. "Gabriel the Angel" now has competition in Heaven and is now playing 2nd trumpet!

Sean G

Sean G is an exciting new talent who is currently working on his first solo CD at Sleepy Night Studios and Park Lane and will follow the release up late Summer with a tour of Japan.

Website online soon...

Soundview

"Soundview Avenue" has just gone through a re-birth; they used to be known as "Freefall". This unsigned band featuring Colin Smith on lead Guitar, Dave Morrison on bass, Sean Gillies vocals, and Graeme Davison on drums/vocals. They write and perform all their own music, described as Rock/Pop.

Formed 5 years ago, their highlights so far have been the youngest band ever to be invited down to play at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, which was covered by all the major newspapers, TV, radio and media, then a week later they were brought back down to play at the Empire Theatre also in Liverpool to play for over 3000 people!

They have also performed on BBC TV, The Saturday Show to an audience of over two million, been featured on Newsround, BBC News also Radio one, Radio Clyde etc and soon the band will be featured on a number of major TV spots to promote something very special? They now face their biggest challenge a massive 4 month world tour for charity!

See their web site for more details