Perfection: Maynard Ferguson - Starfire (1959)

One of the late Benny Golson's prettiest ballads is Starfire. For some strange reason, Benny never recorded it, and now I wish I had asked him why not. The song was recorded only a few times, most notably by Maynard Ferguson and His Orchestra on June 17, 1959. Benny wrote the arrangement for him.

Just as puzzling is that no other jazz musician except Joe Beck, Bert Wilson and Barney Kessel has recorded it. Which is truly bizarre given how beautiful it is.

Starfire appeared on Ferguson's Message From Birdland (1959) and features Maynard Ferguson (tp); Don Ellis, Jerry Tyree and Clyde Reasinger (tp); Slide Hampton and Don Sebesky (tb); Jimmy Ford (as); Carmen Leggio and Willie Maiden (ts); John Lanni (bs); Joe Zawinul (p); Jimmy Rowser (b) and Frankie Dunlop (d).

In some ways, the song reminds me of Bobby Troup's You're Looking at Me, first recorded by Nat King Cole in 1949 and aced by Don Fagerquist's trumpet solo on Heinie Beau's Moviesville Jazz: Heinie Beau and his Hollywood All Stars (1958) album.

Either way, Benny's song has that humid, Los Angeles private-detective sound, and Ferguson plays it with gorgeous sensitivity.

Here's Maynard Ferguson and Starfire...