Eric Miyashiro - Pleiades: A Tribute to Maynard Ferguson (2008)

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Eric Miyashiro - Pleiades: A Tribute to Maynard Ferguson (2008)

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The rationale for Pleiades was simple: trumpet master Eric Miyashiro wanted to say a proper goodbye to his "all-time hero," the late Maynard Ferguson, and do it the way he does best—aiming his horn toward the stratosphere and shaking down some stars, as his mentor, the incomparable Monarch of the High Cs, often did. As it turns out, Miyashiro and his EM ensemble not only accomplished that purpose but in doing so have produced one of the year's most powerful and persuasive big-band albums.

Miyashiro raises the curtain with his enchanting composition, "Pleiades," on which he uses the flugelhorn to show what a marvelous all-around player he is (and an electric piano to enhance the mood), and rings it down with his quiet, offbeat arrangement of Ferguson's greatest hit, the inspirational theme from the movie Rocky ("Gonna Fly Now," subtitled "A Ballad for Maynard"). In between are a pair of Slide Hampton classics ("Frame for the Blues," "Ole"), the sensuous ballad "Maria" (from West Side Story) and four previously unrecorded treasures—Nick Lane's funky "River Whale," Chip McNeill's rockin' "Close the Deal," Denis DiBlasio's sunny arrangement of Chico Buarque's "O Que Sera" and a second blue-chip chart by Lane, "Dance to Your Heart," which he co-wrote with Ferguson. The last is especially important to him, Miyashiro writes, "because this was the first chart I played with Maynard when I was in high school." "Maria" is followed by a medley of songs from the rock opera Tommy, neatly arranged by Jay Chattaway, only a part of which was recorded by the Ferguson band.

Even though Miyashiro's electrifying high-note trumpet (the nearest thing to Maynard since Maynard) is the unequivocal axis, he's by no means the whole show. The EM Band is superb, and there are adrenalizing solos along the way by altos Kazuhiko Kondo and Akio Suzuki, tenors Tatsuya Sato and Atsushi Tsuzurano, guitarist Mitsukuni Kohata, trombonist Yuzo Kataoka, bassist Kiyoshi Murakami and pianist Masaki Hayashi. And one mustn't overlook the ensemble's rock-solid rhythm section, steadfastly anchored by drummer Tappy Iwase. This is no one-dimensional showcase, it's the complete package.

As for highlights: pick a track, any track. The charts, as noted, are admirable, the band likewise, while Miyashiro's trumpet work is, in a word, breathtaking. It's albums such as this that make reviewing a pleasure, as there's absolutely nothing one can write that is less than complimentary. A strong candidate for anyone's annual Top 10 list.