Bill Chase and Maynard Ferguson - Superman

Greatest players!

[@RichWetzel]

That "Superman" audio track is actually Walt Johnson on the fourth CHASE album after Bill had died. I was taking lessons with Walt at this time, that album was "Watch Closely Now". I still have the original vinyl for the album and a 45 of this single too! By the way, I have played gigs with Walt and he can play louder than hell when needed or appropriate, killer chops and a hell of a nice guy too!

[@billpoindexter2113]

I have that CD.

[@brianbaumgarn5795]

got to see Maynard play twice. Had tickets to the Chase concert in Jackson, Mn. when the plane went down. Sad, sad day for alot of trumpet players and music lovers. Both legendary

[@plooker39]

It's all about practice, technique, and will. My buddy, Jay Grifiin and I played along with( on the 78 records), and hit all the notes Maynard did. This was in the late 70's without special mouthpieces. Pinch the lips, open your airway, force from the diaphragm, and believe in your mind you can do it! Don't pull the mouthpiece too much into your lips.

[@Schilke1969]

Erm, wrong description here guys, this is my dear friend Walt Johnson playing lead/solo trumpet with the Chase band after we sadly lost Bill Chase in that terrible plane crash. Just wanted to set that straight.

[@jgh59nerdshack]

I hate to break up the party, but Bill Chase had already died in a plane crash before Maynard ever recorded this, so there is no way they're both on this recording.

[@donovanyaukey5188]

Bill chase died in 79 and Maynard became popular in the late 60 and was on the Ed Sullivan show. There is a way this could be possible and probably happened.

[@fernmann7]

chase died in '74. And this is Walt Johnson screaming on lead

[@davidthoureau5641]

Lyn Biviano played it

[@davidthoureau5641]

@@fernmann7 maybe, but maybe lyn Biviano

[@Beefeater911]

There was a party?

[@BillSmith-rx9rm]

So much wrong information in the comments both about the performers and various dates. This is neither Bill Chase nor Maynard Ferguson. It was a tribute album for Bill chase by his surviving members after his death. Walt Johnson played lead trumpet.

[@stephengilliss4790]

absolutely.....i have the CD....and if you are really a Chase fan you can tell the difference between Bill and Walt....Bill played at ease in the high register,...Walt uses a different embouchure technique in the high register...he wrote a book on it which I also have....this was recorded long after Bill was killed in that plane crash......

[@dancarroll2798]

In 1977, a album titled "Watch Closely Now" was released. The album was a tribute to Bill Chase. Many members of the Chase band were on it and Walt Johnson played lead trumpet. I own the album. Superman is on it.

[@superjonboy873]

Some of High Note Production is natural ability, (Jerry Franks found it to be related to the makeup of a persons upper front teeth) some of it is the strength of various muscles on the face, some is how much air you can force out of your lungs, and some of it is the mouthpiece. I have hit double Cs on a Bach 3C Megatone Mouthpiece. I used wire gauge drill bits and drilled it out from a 27 throat to a 25 throat. But everyone's physiology is different! I always keep in Mind how Maynard could play so well on many brass instruments, meaning he probably had developed a wider area of muscle on his embouchure.

[@marywiller5431]

Chase died Aug 9th. his pilot Dan, was a friend and Linda, we were asked to go, but couldn't. Thank god. Sad day, they were great and really nice people.

[@tbodowd]

Completely agree. I play a bach 3B and will stick with it. You have to work harder to keep range...but it forces me to stick with it...otherwise I lose it...just like I would if i stopped lifting weights..or working out...and thats how it should be. I'm at a double G and double A as well on average with an occasional double C if its a good day (really good day). But the endurance and power is what goes first if I miss a day.

[@LeadersInActionWkshp]

Look up "Chase-Watch Closely Now" The album in which this "Superman" was recorded was done by a Chase Alumni Band, not Chase himself, certainly not Maynard and not the Airmen of Note. I believe Walt Johnson plays lead here and amazing well in my opinion.

[@mikegilbert2500]

Precisely. This is Johnson on lead and he absolutely smokes

[@JasperDCook]

Thank you! I've been trying to ID this track forever... haha.

[@tyler2484]

Maynard used a variation of the "maggio" embouchure. Relaxed and slightly puckered. Watch the video of him playing "don't let the sun go down on me" and there is a close up of his embouchure which I think clearly shows how he played.

[@scrmtrumpet]

I clicked on the comment section to say that. Thanks for setting the record straight. By the way I checked out a few of your videos. Great stuff

[@speaker_of_the_house66]

0:22 when a centipede runs across your desk

[@tyler2484]

It's Walt Johnson. Great player, not a loud one though from what I've heard. But who cares he can play lol. But yea, Walt did this I think with the Chase group. At one point he got with them and remade "Get It On" And "Celebrate". As well as playing some of his own songs.

[@fernmann7]

@chrisfactoryboi You ain't kidding. These horns absolutely rule. even if Maynard and Chase they aren't.

[@r9andre]

Thanks

[@thad1121]

@thad1121 If you cant play up to a Double F, stop on the highest note you can play. Or try a scale you can play in the max octave range. Bb in 2 octaves, then C concert in 2 octaves (D E F# G A B C# D) follow up with your Eb in 2, then F in 3. im working right now on Gb and Ab in 3 right now. But i always warm up with a good Eb in 2. Hope it helps :) and good luck!

[@TheBunnyMenace]

who else is here only for the trumpets?

[@dandan4259]

Why else would one be here???

[@miketemple7]

Allen Vizzutti!!!!!

[@davidthoureau5641]

Lyn Biviano

[@Me112233]

I came here thinking I would get to hear a rocking oboe solo.

[@stephengilliss4790]

This is not Bill Chase or Maynard...its from a tribute album done by some of the remaining members of Chase around 1977. The high trumpet part is played by Walt Johnson......sorry to disappoint.....

[@tbodowd]

I'm certain you are correct. Have adjusted my embouchure over time with really good results. Now, I have a good "set" and can produce much higher notes a little easier...but, finding I still need to spend time on endurance exercises to ensure I can still hit that double G when i need it. Siding with working a little harder at less pressure and more from my diaphragm, and not closing off my throat (another bad habit of mine). Thanks again for the tip. I loathe sit ups...

[@akositrixterjan9063]

Maynard's is the true monster for trumpet

[@313KungFuKenny]

i wish i could just listen to the first 23 seconds over and over again

[@DDDWHATITDO]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOW..........i used a shilkie 14a4a in high school and my band director wanted all his trumpets to use shilkie 16. yes it is a good screamer mouthpiece and i still have that mouthpiece today only a newer one. i thought i was the only one who use this mouthpiece.

[@andromedarr]

@TheGhoulardi Do you mean the glissandi between tones? He is in tune, every sax and many trumpet players bend the notes, and that doesnt mean they are out of tune. And have you ever tried to play that high in a woodwind or brass instrument? Only very few can do that at all :)

[@thad1121]

to all the mouthpiece questions.. any mouthpiece can squeel high range, just depends on your chops. On a good day i can hit a double C with a standerd Bach 3c, On a daily average i hit Double G. OFC me getting a smaller mouthpiece would increase my range and make that Double C easier, but personally hard work on a larger mouth piece is better to me :), In addition im aiming towards a monette B2 prana mouthpiece. Such beautiful sounds. (Becarefull getting screamer mouthpieces they usually kiltone

[@thad1121]

@alexdude1123 Scales. I like to play Eb in 2 octaves without taking a breath or readjusting my lips in between the 2 scales, this keeps your your traditional standard embouchure, without making any changes. Then i slur the scale.. and do octave jumps like low G, in the scale G, G above the staff, then Double G. Once a day i try to hit a Double G or higher and sit on it for a long tone exercise, but be careful play low notes just as much as high notes for balance. Try Eb 2 octaves then F in 3 :)

[@thad1121]

there are no dumb questions. the higher the number the smaller the Rim, so in retrospect 7c has a small rim and diameter than a 3c. The letter C is the depth, since they are both C's they have the same depth. The smaller the letter, the shorter the depth, (A being smallest, C being biggest.)

[@th3music.]

this is every trumpet player's dream song

[@trumpetman4440]

love the song and video =]

[@Rainman___]

That music from :30 on and the pic of Maynard is too classic ^^

[@plooker39]

Another thing is that after playing piccolo, B flat,etc trumpets in high school, I first believed in my high notes. Try one of the little ones and see if that helps things along. It will help with your embrouchure and it's alot easier to learn how to reciprocal breathe.

[@fernmann7]

It's the Airmen of Note, not Chase or Maynard. But what playing!

[@callmeBe]

All the tunes/arrangements you mention are really cool, and I am so glad you enjoy them, but I offer one point of thought: don't say "Stan Kenton arrangements of . . ." because it's not Kenton that did the arrangements. That is, Bill Holman wrote the arrangement of "Malaguena," or Neil Hefti for Woody's "Apple Honey," etc. Now in the case of Dizzy--he actually did write many big band charts in the 1940's (his group and for Boyd Raeburn). Please, just consider giving credit where it is due.

[@BsNoMo]

That's what I'm talkin' about. No WUSSY trumpet section!

[@leadtromba]

I have a transcription for 8 trumpets of the opening fanfare! And no, it is not Bill or Maynard or the Airman of Note, it is indeed Walt Johnson.

[@thad1121]

@tyler2484 Double G, meaning above the High C if you are referring to that, (4 ledger lines)

[@btqy]

Maynard and Chase BOSSES!

[@tbodowd]

Sounds interesting. Have never even tried playing a piccolo trumpet before. Doing a lot of work on peddle tones and lip slurs. What are your thoughts on long tones?

[@skimmer43]

I believe the album was called Watch Closely Now. A Chase tribute/reunion band. Great playing, but the songs...well.... The only stand out is Angry Young Men

[@plooker39]

I first played trumpet in 1967( and have ever since). If you lose it after 1 day, something is lacking in your technique. Remember, less pressure against the lips is better. Many sit-ups a day works wonders. You can't play well without a strong diaphragm.

[@davincent98]

My dad told me about this and I thought it was going to be the Williams theme. Imagine my surprise when it was the George Reeves theme. I'm guessing this came out before December 15, 1978.

[@imthebrother]

I'm confused, I don't its Bill and Maynard playing together or not, someone may help me. It's either the Chase tribute band or somebody else.

[@survivrs]

How much is the mouthpiece and is there a specific size on it like with Bach and Schilke, etc? I really liked my Schilke when I got used to it back in the 70's but when I picked up my horn about 7 years ago and started playing in a brass quintet, I was back to a Bach just because it wasn't jazz that we were playing but it was so good to play again.

[@tyler2484]

@cpjds1 There's the opening fanfare for sheet music somewhere on google haha

[@plooker39]

We didn't discover how to do it until we played the B flat and E flat, piccolo trumpets. Try one, learn it, and you will see how to get the high notes out of the bigger instruments.

[@alex_lprice]

@thad1121 what did u do to work up that double c any excersises

[@hastyberford]

Walt Johnson! Hell yeah.

[@tyler2484]

@thad1121 I'm guessing you mean G above High C? Like, 4 ledger lines above the staff?

[@VKDM8687]

This is Walt Johnson. Duh.

[@LowReedExpert1]

screamers are tricky until you figure them out, I for instance use a wieght and practice low register alot and I have a better than alot of people I know that are on C's, of course no one should think they are a magic solution

[@AcidLifeform]

Chido! I imagine standing in front of Maynard would be like standing in front of the jet engine

[@careyfortune]

funny,i asked geoff winstead this week about walt giving lessons,he says he doesn,t.

[@hoodfigga92]

What mouthpiece is he using??

[@thad1121]

@Laxmaster72 I scared the heck out of a Judge on the Bb scale when i hit a Double G on the arpeggio last year lol..

[@TheeMelloMan]

This is the best thing that has ever happened in history or mankind other than Chuck Norris.

[@trumpeter93]

@TheGhoulardi Where is it out of tune?

[@TheSpartacus79]

after them, the void...

[@elgemelo000]

This is not chase, either Maynard. It is Walt Johnson.

[@artDA]

So, where's your CD? Band? Anything? Yeah, that's what I thought.

[@scrmtrumpet]

I was told at one point that the soloist is Walt Johnson.

[@Robertwaynebly]

I love MF's big ban pop numbers, and I am a huge Superman fan, so as you can imagine, I like this, although it is a bit on the cornball side, especially the vocals.

[@KingSuperIdiotZN2000]

damn....

[@plooker39]

I learned how to do pedal tones from a M F interview.

[@craigjohnson6144]

Umm.. You may want to have your facts straight before posting something like this. This is Walt Johnson and is a sort of Chase tribute band.Don't think it was ever released. There is an entire album. Maynard and Bill Chase had nothing to do with it (like said below- Bill was long gone).

[@Tune08]

The intro is cazy with the super B up there lol

[@randytrader3026]

Well who ever it is can play the hell out of a trumpet.. there's not to many people known to hit notes like that.. there's sled dogs still howling at the north pole from that record

[@hoodfigga92]

@71stang57 yea i got a 6a4a also

[@Braglemaster123]

****** This is NOT MF, and not mentioned in his Biography !!! Book caked MF Horn

[@AFBugleboy]

This was published as a big band arrangement by Les Hooper, without the "chick" vocals, of course. I have it.

[@ericwps]

if you want a good screamer that doesnt kill tone look into Lengends THUNDER mouthpiece

[@otmq]

...change the misleading title...maynard didn't play on this album at ALL!!!

[@DaveyTrumpetOCCHS]

@leadtromba dude can u plz send it to me

[@dominatorspeed3153]

0:19= JIZZ MY PANTS!!!

[@jbmaggs]

I don't think Maynard plays on this...sounds like the Chase band. But awesome track!

[@JacobGarciaMusic]

This is actually Walt Johnson

[@superdog525]

The smart money says the "screamer" is Walt Johnson! It is not Chase for sure.

[@DDDWHATITDO]

are you sure.....there will be alot of people disappointed by this.....

[@chrisfactoryboi]

Brilliant and so cheesy!

[@DaAppleEaterMan]

Standard

[@bobbly7132]

Vocals are cornball, arrangement is not true to the TV show, but I still like it.

[@danielhawkins4783]

Agree

[@grandmasterharpyeagl]

2:45

[@sheherezade007]

I R Tubah Playur. I play ern big murthpees

[@jackfairclough9269]

I Dont Know what to say......

[@tallonuporsky3602]

Jack Fairclough, I feel you

[@grandmasterharpyeagl]

0:24 :O

[@grandmasterharpyeagl]

@grandmasterharpyeagl *0:19

[@grandmasterharpyeagl]

@grandmasterharpyeagl 2:37

[@thomasdoyle2408]

Awesome - but not Maynard

[@noahcurtis2291]

Sorry but not all that, I could hit the double G on a Bach5c in eighth grade.

[@JerielVazquez]

Noah Curtis guessing you could only squeak it. :)

[@JerielVazquez]

Alexander Guerra its not dependent on him being a prodigy, it's more dependent on how fast he can push air through the instrument to sustain the note which needs a good set of lungs.

[@duffgordon9005]

I could go way up on my silver CONNm until it was time to get braces. When that butcher was done with me , due to straight teeth I lost my highs, and quit. To any parents out there with a teenage girl or boy- there are worse things then crooked teeth.

[@TheGhoulardi]

Too bad ol' Maynard can't play in tune !

[@BrianDaMexican24]

I can hit a high d off the scale everyday on my bach 3c i'm in 7th grade and twelve

[@samondaatje3604]

nobody cares

[@Hoboninja1000]

PSHHHHHHHHHHH I can play better.