Rip- Sherman Fergerson- musicians musician

[Tim Price]

An obituary for Sherman is available at http://www.jazzhouse.org/gone/.


He had been suffering for some time and
apparently died of complications.


I am posting this here because Sherman was one of my best musical
friends, a Philly bro' with the chops to do anything.


He was in the great Kenny Burrells trio for years...a driving cutting
edge drummer that took no prisioners nor never stopped swinging.
The last time Kenny played " The BlueNote" in NYC I was put
( thankfully ) on the guest list for a Friday night gig to hear my
friend with Kenny. After the gig I was going to try to take
Sherman to a session at a friends loft in Chelsea to play after the gig.
I had my tenor with me. Sherman saw I had my horn and went and told Kenny let's get Tim up here. These guys were class acts and I had THE HONOR to walk on to Kennys bandstand in the middle of a Friday night in NYC to sit in.
We played " Chitlins Con Carne "....I was thrilled to do _just
that_and Kenny was kind enuf to say stay up for the last tune...which
was a bright version of " UMMG" . Sherman told him I was all about the
Duke-Strayhorn element. I'll_NEVER_ever forget that -OR THE KINDNESS-
offered me thru Sherman. Sherman used to tell sax players to buy my
books...and I'd be getting great calls from guys who I idiolized via
Shermans words.This man was a class act.


Just last week at IAJE I told saxist Carol Chaikin...to RECORD with
Sherman before it's to late. As these guys are ...THE ONES.
She was saying he's a legend, he's a monster. I told her he's a Philly
cat. A breed of person that thrives to play and would love to just be
involved. Sadly, it's now to late.:cry:


Sherman was involved in- Catalyst - alongside saxman Odean Pope (A
Tear and a Smile, Muse, 1975).
He also is on my favorite Pat Martino records of all time in the
early 1970s.
- Desperado (1970, Prestige) This one will melt your mind no
matter what you play!!
- Consciousness (1974, Muse)


Check the obit at http://www.jazzhouse.org/gone/


My friend Nick Bradley from my Berklee days took Sherman under his
wing to help him as he had nobody in the Tujunga area to help him with
home stuff or taking him to the doctor etc.
Nick also put up the money for Shermans last CD called " Welcome to
My Vision " (Jazz-a-zance, 2002) with his JazzUnion band. There's some
sax playing on there thts more important than anything. GO LISTEN.


Sherman was THE first choice for any sax player from Pharoah to Warne
Marsh.Benny Golson to Bill Perkins.Bud Shank loved Sherman!!


In any case- he lit the fire under you and kept you inspired.


I'm going to miss him. He was one of the greatest people and musicians
I ever met! I shoulda took the advise I gave Carol.


A legend amoung all who knew and loved him.
The music won't be the same, nor will I without this man's gifts.

It was an honor to know Sherman Fergerson.

[John Gilmore]

I was lucky enough to see Mr. Ferguson's JazzUnion a few times in Los Angeles. It was an amazing band! Mr. Ferguson's playing could bring a smile to anyone's face. He would do the most intricate polyrhythms and make it look so easy and it was so musical. He was the real thing and more, no doubt.

There were always people gazing with jaws dropped at what this man could do on his instrument. The two tenor saxophones, bass, and drums lineup of the JazzUnion was an unstoppable unit LIVE and perhaps (along with Art Davis' group) the best small group hitting all the mainstream Jazz venues in the City of Angels.

I'll never forget the night they played at the World Stage (a Jazz, Art, and Cultural Center co-founded by the late, great Mr. Billy Higgins) when none other than the great Roy Haynes walks in, not to play, but just to see Mr. Ferguson and his band. The band was on fire that night! Trevor Ware on bass(!), Carl Randall on tenor(!) and Louis Taylor on tenor, soprano, and bass clarinet (!).

Mr. Ferguson even joked around commenting on how the guys in the band were playing EVERYTHING they knew that night. Louis Taylor in particular is a monster player and it was a treat to see him in a playing situation where he could really open up like that.

Mr. Ferguson was a great personality on and off the bandstand. He let everyone in to his vision of things and when he would talk to all of us between tunes, it was just as fun as hearing the JazzUnion play a tune.
If I'm not mistaken, they played an extended set that night at the prompting of Mr. Haynes. After they finished playing, it was like a party down there at the World Stage. It was a great night!

Many thanks, best wishes and pleasant journey to the late, great Mr. Sherman Ferguson.

Mark

[Kritavi]

I saw Sherman one time although I hate to say I forget with whom. Nevermind, I remember him and he was a tremendous player with a lot of vitality. It is always easy to remember hearing "name" players. We all forget sometimes how many tremendous players did not become household names. This cat was one of them.

[BayviewSax]

I saw him with Pharoah at the sterile Regattabar. He was great. There was a little kid in the middle of the front row, and he hit the wall about half way through the first set. The band was playing Pharoah's blues tune with Pharoah's "I got the blues" lyric. Sherman was in the middle of his drum solo and started alternating drum lines and singing the lyric:

Brd-da-da-da-didity-dur-d-d-d-da-dut, "I got the blues..."
Burdidity-da-da-da-da-da-d-d-d-d-dut, "I got the blues..."
Br-dadada-didity-d-d-d-d-d-da-da-dut, [points to the kid with stick in right hand] "The kid's got the blues...."

Audience just broke up, classic moment. With all the guys the music is losing, why are we not seeing more of their heirs apparent recorded more?