I guess Maynard's management did what they could , given the restrictions of the marketplace and the overall jazz situation throughout those years. He was booked solidly nearly all the time, so it's not
like they were lacking for work. About the Tonight Show --- It's known fact that Maynard generally didn't touch his horn when he was off the road and  home in Ojai --- so that would probably have ruled out
any Tonight Show appearances during those down times ---he would not go on obviously sounding rusty. As far as a comfort factor goes--- ALL performers have to adjust to any situation they find themselves
in, be it live TV or whatever, some more than others, when they are out of their natural element. I once saw Maynard on the Tom Snyder overnight program, and he looked just incredibly beat, and tired. Spoke with
Tom for a few minutes , and then did , I think, Portuguese Love and Rocky with the FULL band, and he barely made it through the charts. The perils of the road. High note trumpet , and especially high note trumpet on national television, is a high wire act that only a select few can pull off. Mr. Severinsen fashioned a whole career on just that.  My point is that Maynard's playing style was blood and guts , pedal to the metal, NIGHTLY, all those years. And that type of playing was not very conducive to a lot of one- shot TV performances, with a lot of waiting around . I think overall, though, when you look at all those Mike Douglas and
Merv Griffin appearances, he did very well. Some of the other things, though, like the Letterman spot ( Letterman the musical illiterate) , and Sass and Brass, not so well.