Ernie Royal - Accent on Trumpet (2006)

Ernie Royal was by no means a new or budding star in the jazz firmament when these recordings were made. His work on trumpet had for a long time been solidly in evidence in both concert and on recording. In the first eight tracks, recorded in 1955, we can hear him during a session in New York fronting an All-Star Mainstream sextet, featuring Oscar Pettiford and Billy Taylor as highlighted soloists beside him. This compilation also contains the recordings he made in Paris in 1950 when he was on a European tour with Duke Ellingtons band.

The line up included some of the best Ellington sidemen, three famous French musicians and two outstanding American boppers who were then living in Paris: tenorist James Moody and drummer Kenny Clarke. For the first time on CD, and despite his extensive and brilliant career, here are the only recordings Ernie Royal did as leader of a jazz ensemble.