Maynard Ferguson Hot CD

Personnel: Maynard Ferguson (trumpet, flugelhorn, horns); Maynard Ferguson; Sylvester Stallone (spoken vocals); Joe Mosello (trumpet, percussion); Dan Barber, Alan Johnson, Ron Tooley (trumpet); Phil Grey, Nick Lane (trombone); Jeff Pittson (keyboards, synthesizer, Moog synthesizer); Donald (xylophone); Bob Economou (drums, cymbals); Ramnad V. Raghavan (mradangam); Tom Rizzo (guitar); Bobby Militello (flute); Mike Migliore (saxophone, alto saxophone); Eric Traub (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Ed Maina (baritone saxophone); Stan Mark (trumpet); Daniel Seraphine (drums).
Audio Mixers: Don Koldon; Don Hahn.
Recording information: A & M, L. A., CA; Media Sound, N. Y; Wally Heider, L. A., CA.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Sylvester Stallone; Nick Lane.
Arrangers: Jay Chattaway; Nick Lane; Biff Hannon.
Hot could be the absolute worst of trumpeter Maynard Ferguson's '70s recordings. It's not just that it contains more over the top versions of theme songs -- "Rocky II Disco" anyone? -- and generally vomitive dancefloor-ready production, but more to the point, 'ol MF just doesn't sound good. His chops, long overworked by years of obscenely high trumpet squealing, are beginning to let him down. The problem is particularly glaring on the "Gospel John" reworking "Gabriel," in which Ferguson "fracks" and plays out of tune more than once. Beyond his generally tired-sounding performance, the album feels rushed and features a lousy mixed-bag track selection. To these ends, you get the odd faux raga "Om Sai Ram," featuring MF attempting to replicate a traditional Indian instrument with a muted trumpet, a kitschy disco-style version of "Theme from Star Trek," and an average version of John Coltrane's "Naima." Similarly, Stanley Clarke's "Dayride" is a forgettable '70s big-band funk/Latin number and "Topa-Topa Woman" is just too silly to bother with. ~ Matt Collar