Out In The Mountains : Arts & Entertainment

I was also lucky enough to see Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band perform at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg, Vermont, on his birthday this past May.

As a fan of both artists, I was thrilled to discover that these two musical talents have recently collaborated and released a new CD called Big City Rhythms on the Concord Records label.

This is Feinstein’s 18th album, but it’s his first recording in this context – as a crooner backed by a big band. Best known for working as Ira Gershwin’s assistant and later recording and performing many of the Gershwin songs, Feinstein has stepped into a whole new dimension with this recording. There’ve been a lot of other firsts for him this past year; in October, he opened a nightclub called Feinstein’s at The Regency in New York City. He also wrote the musical score and appeared in the recent Miramax film “Get Bruce.”

Maynard Ferguson and his Big Band have been touring this year promoting their own new recording Brass Attitude. Maynard is known, of course, for his robust and powerful trumpet and flugelhorn playing. At 71, he can still blow a horn with fury, and it’s as amazing to watch as it is to listen to.

With sixteen tracks and a total playing time of just over 64 minutes, this new recording is fantastic. Big City Rhythms has a wonderful mix of upbeat swing tunes, including “Swing Is Back In Style” and “Close Your Eyes”; romantic pieces such as “The Very Thought Of You” and “How Little We Know”; and heartstring-tugging ballads like “The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else” and “When Your Lover Has Gone/ The Gal That Got Away.” Feinstein and Ferguson seem to have been meant to play together, and it is definitely a performance I would love to see live.

Failing concert opportunities, perhaps the second-best way to enjoy these tunes is with a quiet evening at home with a special someone. Light the candles and the fire, roll up the rug, pull out the tuxes, gowns, or whatever you consider snappy attire, and let the music make the evening.