Basie Band Alumni to Play at First ‘Salute to Masters’

Count Basie fronted some of the greatest big-band lineups of all time, including several jazz men who left their mark on the music. Alto saxophonist and Basie alum Marshal Royal was one such key player. Royal, who joins fellow Basie band graduate Joseph Wilder on Saturday night for the first of the San Diego Jazz Society’s “Salute to the Masters” series, is well aware of his contribution to Basie’s band.

Asked what he learned from the association, Royal replied:

“I didn’t have to learn anything. I put his new band together in 1951. He learned from me. After I left the band, it never sounded the same.”

Royal isn’t shy about what it was lacking.

“Me,” he said.

The intent of the jazz society’s series is to keep jazz history alive. Royal, too, believes this is important. He’s always believed in the traditional forms of improvisation: solos with a melody even casual listeners can follow.

“Common melodies, simple melodies are sometimes more important than structures,” he said. Yet he keeps his mind open about music. “I don’t dislike any music. There are really only two kinds: good and bad.”

Royal and trumpeter Wilder actually played together for the first time in 1940 in Lionel Hampton’s band. This Saturday’s concert is a tribute to Duke Ellington and Ellington band member and composer Billy Strayhorn.

Royal, who has worked with Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn, Art Tatum, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Benny Carter, Quincy Jones, Joe Williams and Linda Ronstadt, prefers a big-band setting.

“With a big band, you have good backgrounds for solos. It showcases you better.”

Wilder’s background is more varied, including extensive radio and television work, classical orchestra and Broadway musicals--last year, he finished an 8 1/2-year run with “42nd St.”

Royal and Wilder will be backed by Mike Wofford on piano, Bob Magnusson on bass and Roy McCurdy on drums.

After this kickoff concert at 8 p.m. at the Lyceum Stage theater in Horton Plaza, the jazz society will present a tribute to Charlie Parker from saxophonist Nick Brignola on March 10 at the new downtown convention center and an April 1 tribute to Basie at the Don Powell Theatre on the San Diego State University campus.

The shows are being funded with $12,800 in city arts money the society was awarded for 1990. This spring, the society plans to present a series of outdoor community concerts at various San Diego County locations.

KIFM (98.1) is making changes that could perk up its Sunday night “Mainly Mainstream” program, which runs from 10 until midnight. It’s been renamed “Straight Ahead.” Starting this Sunday, host Paul Lavoie is out, replaced by local jazz expert Jim Merod and Steve Satkowski, who will also serve as executive producer. Satkowski books the talent for Elario’s, which is underwriting the program. It’s a great promotion for Elario’s. Each show will spotlight the club’s headliner through several short interview segments and digital audio tape of their performances at the club. The show will also include reviews of jazz CDs, 98-second jazz history capsules and a segment called “Straight From the Hip,” featuring jazz news and trends.

Tobacco Road has a new self-produced album, available from the group at their various gigs, or at Uptown Records in Hillcrest.

Among the cassette’s 14 songs, the one getting airplay on KSDS-FM, B100’s “Morning Zoo” and KFMB-Am’s Hudson and Bauer show is “We Got Fish for Supper,” sung by Preston Coleman, the band’s 72-year-old bass player. Coleman has played with pianist Mary Lou Williams and drummer Art Blakey in a trio, and with singer Joe Williams and trumpeter Walter Fuller.

During the coming weeks, you can hear Tobacco Road during Wednesday happy hours at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach and Thursday nights at the new Kansas City Steakhouse in the Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego.

RIFFS: The Turtle Island String Quartet, the light jazz group which records for Windham Hill, plays Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. in UCSD’s Mandeville Auditorium. Pianist Cecil Lytle, provost of UCSD’s Third College and a respected jazz player, performs original compositions with locals Hollis Gentry, Gunnar Biggs and Leon Alexander at 8 p.m. Saturday in UCSD’s Faculty Club. . . . Bluesman Smokey Wilson is up at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Vic’s in La Jolla, after the 7 p.m., re-uniting meeting of the San Diego Blues Organization. . . . Trumpeter Tony Russo is featured on KSDS-FM’s (88.3) “Le Jazz Club” show at 7 p.m. Sunday.