News Release

Jazz Legend Maynard Ferguson Performs at Hopkins

The Canadian-born Ferguson is a three-time Grammy-nominee and member of both the Downbeat and the National Association for Campus Activities Hall of Fame. He has been leading big bands since the 40s, and in 1949, he moved to the United States and began playing in the Stan Kenton Orchestra. During the 1950s, he played 14-week sets so often at the original New York Birdland Jazz Club that he and his first American band became known as the Birdland Dream Band.

Since the 1950s, Ferguson has consistently appeared at major festivals, concert and club venues and on national broadcasting programs. He has performed with jazz giants like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, and the Dorsey Brothers.

Through the years, Ferguson has gained broad appeal because of his spectacular high-note trumpet work and stirring interpretations of pop tunes. Today he spends most of his time touring with his Big Bop Nouveau Band, one of the premier jazz big bands on the road today.

In 1996, Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band opened the renovated Birdland Jazz Club. Their newest CD, One More Trip to Birdland, features solid jazz tunes like Dizzy Gillespie's Manteca, Miles Davis Milestones, and Duke Ellington's It Don t Mean a Thing If It Ain t Got That Swing.

Tickets are $20 for general admission, $17 for senior citizens, $12 for full-time students with ID. Group discounts are also available. For information, call the Office of Special Events at 410-516-7157.