* En anglais uniquement
An eccentric character who was a fine soloist and an underrated arranger,
Willie Maiden played mostly in big bands throughout his career. He started studying piano when he was five and switched to saxophone at 11.
Maiden was an arranger for
Maynard Ferguson as early as 1952 and was a member (and a tenor soloist) for
Ferguson during Ferguson's Roulette years, starting in 1956.
Maiden played with
Charlie Barnet in 1966 and from 1969-73 was the baritonist and a composer/arranger for
Stan Kenton, being virtually the only veteran (other than the leader) in the youthful orchestra. Maiden's last few years were spent teaching at the University of Maine. The tenorman never led his own record session. ~ Scott Yanow