Maynard Ferguson - With His Own Bands Early Years 1954-57 / Canadian jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson was something of a prodigy as a youngster, playing solos with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Orchestra broadcasts when he was 13 years old, and was always destined for a career in music, training at the Conservatoire in Montreal until 1948. He moved to the USA and played with the bands of Boyd Raeburn, Jimmy Dorsey and Charlie Barnet before joining Stan Kenton for an extended stint in the early '50s. The recordings featured here represent his first forays into recording leading his own bands. This 43-track 2-CD collection comprises all the titles (excluding one which could not be included for reasons of space) from his albums on the Emarcy tag InchThe Maynard Ferguson OctetInch, InchDimensionsInch, InchAround the Horn with Maynard FergusonInch and InchBoy with Lots of BrassInch, with line-ups ranging from an octet to a 13-piece big band. It features many original compositions, with a number by tenor saxophonist and arranger Bill Holman, along with arrangements of classic Songbook standards, with the musicians involved including Bud Shank, Shelly Manne, Milt Bernhart, Herb Geller, Georgie Auld, Red Callender, Nino Tempo, Ray Linn, Bill Holman, Ray Brown, Alvin Stoller, Bobby Timmons, Larry Bunker and many more. It's an intriguing and entertaining insight into his work as he leads his own bands on record for the first time Album Tracks 1. Finger Snappin' 2. My New Flame 3. Autumn Leaves 4. Inter-Space 5. 20 Rue de Madrid 6. What Was Her Name? 7. Yeah 8. Egad, Martha 9. Breakfast Dance 10. Maiden Voyage 11. Thou Swell 12. The Way You Look Tonight 13. All God's Children Got Rhythm 14. Slow Stroll 15. Wonder Why 16. Willie Nillie 17. Hymn to Her 18. Lonely Town 19. Somewhere Over the Rainbow 20. Mrs. Pitlack Regrets 1. N