Gonna Fly Now

Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, known for his soaring high notes as well as his hit recording of "Gonna Fly Now," from the "Rocky" movies, has died at the age of 78.

Ferguson died last night at Community Memorial Hospital in Ojai, California, of kidney and liver failure originating from an abdominal infection. Ferguson's four daughters, Kim, Lisa, Corby and Wilder, and other family members were at his side when he died.

Born in Montreal, Ferguson began playing piano and violin at age 4, taking up the trumpet at age 9, and soloed with the CBC Orchestra at 11. At the age of 15 he dropped out of school to pursue a career in music. He led his own dance band, and went on to front a number of big bands and smaller ensembles, eventually producing
more than 60 albums and earning three Grammy nominations.

Ferguson became identified with ear-piercing power and dizzying high notes that he was still able to play with precision. He was named Down Beat magazine's "trumpeter of the year" three times. Ferguson, who stood just 5 feet 9, credited yoga with enabling him to harness the full capacity of his lungs and routinely hit a double-high-C.

"My instrument is a thing of pleasure, and I play it only because I enjoy it," he once said. "The most important thing is doing what feels right for me."

As with many esteemed jazz players, mainstream success largely eluded Ferguson. But he scored a top 10 hit with his version of "Gonna Fly Now," and the single spawned a gold album and a Grammy nomination in 1978.

"I knew it was going to be a hit," he once said of the Bill Conti composition. "Sylvester Stallone was in the studio when we recorded it," punching a speed bag to the rhythm of the song."If you listen very close to the original recording, you can hear in the mix the sound of him hitting the small bag," Ferguson said.