Marshal Royal was at the core of the Count Basie Orchestra for 20 years during its resurgence in the 1950s and 1960s. Before that he was a pioneer of jazz on the West Coast of the US, playing with many bands in and around Los Angeles. His memoirs provide a document of the history of jazz on the West Coast and the development of big band jazz. Royal gives a vivid account of his work in Les Hite's band at Sebastian's New Cotton Club, where he worked with many stars including Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller. He became a founder member and "straw boss" of Lionel Hampton's Orchestra after a wartime career in US Navy bands. Leaving Hampton, he made countless recordings as a freelance before joining Basie, where he was responsible for rehearsing the Orchestra, and three chapters offer an insider's view of the latter-day Basie band. After leaving Basie, as well as continuing his prolific recording career Royal became internationally famous as a touring soloist. The book also contains an account of Royal's trumpeter brother Ernie, who starred in the bands of Woody Herman and Stan Kenton.

About the Author
Claire P. Gordon is well known as the editor of Rex Stewart's memoirs Boy Meets Horn and of Stewart's other collections of writing. She lives on the West Coast and has a life long interest in the oral history of jazz.

Reviews
"Concentrated and never-less-than interesting." -Raymond Horricks, Crescendo & Jazz Music
"Marshal reveals a prodigious memory for names, places, incidents, and engagaements with a fund of anecdotes which fill this book." -Eddie Cook, Jazz Journal International
"Enjoyable reading...This is the closest you can get to history without actually living it." -Robert Tate, Jazz Now



Book Information
ISBN 9780826458049
Author Marshal Royal
Format Paperback
Page Count 180
Imprint Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 394g