To all the friends and fans of Maynard Ferguson,

First of all I want to thank all of you for your kind words since my father's passing. We all share a great loss, but with time the sadness will fade and we will be left with wonderful memories. I received many heartfelt emails and letters from people who believe that Maynard's music changed their lives, that he inspired them, that his overwhelming joy of performing and love of life rubbed off on them, that his mantra of "Music has to be fun", was proven at every show and clinic. Maynard and the people who love him are proof that music matters. That said, I would like to ask everyone who would like to, to please write their Maynard experience and email it to me. My goal is to create a powerful document/Book that proves the power and importance of music education. Maybe it will also help get Maynard a lifetime achievement award; maybe it will just be a beautiful testament to a wonderful human being who we were lucky to know. When it is put together/published I will let you all know. --Love Wilder Ferguson-Jacob

Note: There is one thing that I wish I had thought to ask about before. I would like to have a photo to go with each story. If each story had a photo with it that was taken the night the story was about, then we would truly capture the life of Maynard. It would also be great to have more photos of Maynard backstage laughing and interacting with fans and band members.

The project might be put in chronological order, thus demonstrating that even though Maynard is old in the last part of the book, he was still giving 100%.

If you didn't take a photo that night, please make sure I have the date and maybe even venue. Then I could try to find a photo from about that time. Your photo would be nicer though...

Many people mentioned that their father took them to their first Maynard concert and so if you had a photo of all of you, you, your father and MF, that would be a great photo.

Please give me permission to use the photo and send it in high resolution. The photo can be sent to wilderproject@yahoo.com.

Update August 2009: As you might expect it turned out to be a bit overwhelming to take on this project so soon after my father’s passing, so I set the project aside for a while. Now I have started the project again and re-read all the stories that I already have. Wow! You guys are all fantastic and I am so grateful for your help. I received letters from doctors, lawyers, firemen, soldiers, teachers, musicians, computer techs and the list goes on.

The project still needs more stories though, and I hope that if you haven’t already written one, you will contribute your story and photos to the collection.

PS Please do not contribute a story and then post it on the web, I know that sounds a little unfair, but if you do then the collection will turn out to be a bunch or stories that everyone has already read.

How has music affected your life in a positive way, using your Maynard experience(s) as an example?

Your name (first name or full name):

Your E-mail address:

Age:

Town:

State/Province:

Country:

Profession/Title:
(Profession is important because it proves how music crosses all boundaries.)