Screamin



	Meeting Maynard
Rest in Peace my Friend. You will be truly missed by all

"My name is Ron Levi and I am the "come back" player of the SCREAMIN SYTEM.

I bought Maynard's original Holton ST302 a few years ago. It was a piece of nostalgia that was priceless to me. It was one of a kind, and an opportunity to own a piece of Maynard Ferguson History.

It arrived in a plain black case and was in perfect playing condition. It had the looks of years of playing and holding it gave me a sense of closeness to the boss. I could only imagine the number of times it had been played by Maynard, and all the different venues it must have endured.

Me and Maynard

It was exciting to place my mouthpiece in the lead pipe and see if this horn was magical. (I was looking for the octave key) The horn was free blowing and the sound was as big as a house. Was it a stock Holton?? Only Maynard could answer that.

Click to enlarge images

Also included in the case was a hand written letter of authenticity signed by Maynard himself. This is the same letter I am holding in the above picture.

A few other goodies were included with the horn, but one I would like to share with you is the grueling schedule kept by Maynard while traveling with the Stan Kenton Band. This schedule is not for the faint of heart.

Another was a picture of the Kiwanis Club of Montreal Boys' Band dated 1939-1940. Can you pick out Maynard?

Although I owned the horn with a letter of authenticity, it wasn't enough. In November 2003, Maynard Ferguson and his band played a venue in Pittsburgh , Penna. Of course I bought front row tickets.

I brought the Holton with the hopes of getting a picture with Maynard.

Between the two shows, I approached Maynard's business manager Ed Sargent and asked if it was possible to take a picture with Maynard and his original Holton horn. Ed said he couldn't promise but I should check with him after the show.

At the end of the show Maynard had disappeared and Ed was busy tying up loose ends. I again approached him and he said that Maynard had gone back to the bus and would not be coming back.

I stressed the importance of the picture to me and asked if he would ask Maynard to do a long time fan a favor. Ed immediately went into the tour bus and a few minutes later exited and gave me the news. Maynard would be happy to meet with me for the photograph.

I was more nervous walking into that bus to meet Maynard than I was on my first day of school. After I introduced myself, I pulled out the Holton trumpet for the photograph. Maynard immediately recognized the horn, and with a smile he said "Ah, my old Holton!"

The picture was graciously taken by Ed Sargent. I left with a great sense of pride that I finally got to meet and photograph with the man that I had admired for decades.

Meeting Maynard