Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XVII ★ September 13, 1953

Based on Witch Doctor and At Last!, presented in previous posts, it is possible to begin reconstructing the historical significance of what took place on September 13, 1953 at the Lighthouse Café: a Sunday that would later be recognized as one of the most extensively documented in the club’s history, even if those initial releases only captured fragments of the day’s activity.

What follows here comes closer than any previous release to that full picture: a near-complete document of the Lighthouse's activity from opening to closing time.

First, it marked the only known attempt to record an entire day at the Lighthouse. Significantly, the day had not even been planned as a recording session: according to producer Ed Michel, the documentation came about largely by chance. The tapes made by Cecil Charles Spiller —labeled "Crazy Sunday"— together with the parallel recordings by Donald Dean, preserve nearly seven hours of non-overlapping material, covering the full span from 2:00 pm to 2:00 am. Spiller, a jazz enthusiast and photographer who frequently brought his monaural tape machine to the club, was responsible for the primary location recordings. Rather than a conventional session, it captured the continuous flow of a typical Sunday: shifting lineups, guest appearances, and evolving repertoire.

This particular Sunday also marked the debut of a new Lighthouse All-Stars lineup, led by Howard Rumsey, following the departure of key figures such as Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre, Frank Patchen, and Shelly Manne. The new group featured Rolf Ericson, Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Claude Williamson, and Max Roach, and was still working through largely unrehearsed material.

A decisive factor was the presence of guests, including Miles Davis and Chet Baker. Their meeting —later framed through the lens of a supposed rivalry— has become one of the most frequently cited aspects of the day. Yet, according to Howard Rumsey, the atmosphere was far more relaxed than legend would suggest.

The alleged tension had a concrete background. In 1953, Davis had not yet reached the stature he would soon attain, while Baker was enjoying heightened visibility following his work with Gerry Mulligan and his emergence as a "new star" in Down Beat polls. Reports circulated —never fully verifiable— suggesting that Davis viewed Baker as an imitator of his style and resented the attention he was receiving. Over time, this narrative solidified into a widely accepted account of friction between the two. Still, the available evidence remains fragmentary, and it is impossible to determine with certainty what actually transpired between them that day.

What can be established is that they did share the bandstand, albeit briefly and only partially documented: the surviving fragment of "Get Happy" captures Baker beginning a solo immediately after Davis. Baker then departs, and the set continues. This detail challenges the long-standing claim that the two never played together that day.

LA Jazz Institute Presents

The Complete Crazy Sunday At The Lighthouse

September 13, 1953

The new All-Stars made their Sunday debut on September 13, 1953, and a packed house showed up to hear the new group.

By this time the Sunday Jazz Concert hours had expanded with a start time of 2:00pm and an end time of 2:00am, with an hour break for dinner at 6:00.

The special guests hired by Rumsey for this occasion were Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Herb Geller and Lorraine Geller. Jimmy Giuffre, Russ Freeman and Shelly Manne all came back to appear in somewhat of a ceremonial transition from the old group to the new. Howard remembered Mingus being there and playing some intermission piano.

Contemporary Records decided to try another live recording, and sent Cecil Charles (Spiller) back once again to capture the days proceedings. On the original tape boxes he wrote the phrase "Crazy Sunday" which is how he perceived the events of the day.

In reality it wasn't all that crazy. It was just a typical Sunday in a long line of Sunday concerts at the Lighthouse.

Howard Rumsey recalled "To me it was a nervous day trying to do business and record at the same time. Plus it was a new band and we were playing lots of unrehearsed material which was new to them." (...)

The original recordings were planned for Contemporary Records but were shelved soon after and not released. There are a variety of factors that led to that, which included the fact that Miles was under contract with Prestige, Chet was under contract with Pacific, and Howard thought it was too soon to be recording the new group. They were not familiar with the music yet and needed more time to gel.

Some of these recordings finally saw the light of day in the 1980's when a few of the tracks were released on two LP's. Everything else has remained un-issued. 

Luckily Howard Rumsey had a set of nine reels that were the original Cecil Charles (Spiller) recordings made that day and now reside in the Howard Rumsey Collection at the Los Angeles Jazz Institute. There is roughly about five hours of material on the Charles reels. (...)

All in all it's pretty close to the entire Sunday session, and as close as we will ever get to being able to experience what happened each and every Sunday at the Lighthouse. You will notice that there are several titles played more than once. They are all different. (...)

There are three bonus tracks at the end of disc 4 that feature the new All-Stars with Chet Baker as the added guest. The personnel matches disc 1 and 2 of this collection. These are three orphan tracks that only have the date listed as September 1953. It's a reasonable assumption that these are more tracks recorded on September 13. The group is the same, the ambiance is the same, and they were recorded by Cecil Charles. It's unlikely Chet and Charles both returned the next week, so I would guess they are probably from the same date. Since we don't know for sure we are treating them as bonus tracks.

The first four discs are the Cecil Charles Spiller recordings in the order they exist on each tape reel.

Discs five and six are the Donald Dean tapes in the order they were recorded.

The Complete Crazy Sunday is a very important historical document and we are happy to be able to share it with you. *Ken Poston (from the liner notes)*

Although the presence of major guest artists undoubtedly contributed to the energy of the performances, the sheer quantity and overall quality of the music produced that day remain remarkable. It would be misleading to assume that every Sunday reached this level, yet these recordings clearly reflect the consistency of the band. In fact, the solos documented on September 13, 1953 rank among the most creative and compelling preserved in the All-Stars’ recorded output.

Now, at last, what was recorded on that September 13 —for decades scattered, partially issued, or simply unavailable— can be heard in near-complete form thanks to one of the most ambitious restorations of this material: the 6-CD collection The Complete Crazy Sunday at the Lighthouse – September 13, 1953, released in 2023 by the Los Angeles Jazz Institute.

Carefully assembled from fragmentary sources, it offers an unprecedented opportunity to experience a full Sunday at the Lighthouse as it actually unfolded—continuous, imperfect, and ultimately irreproducible.

*CD 1*

1 - Funnyfied

(Giuffre)

2 - Bean Bag (a.k.a. Beau Boy = a.k.a. Loki)

(Rogers)

3 - Out Of Somewhere

(Giuffre)

4 - Loaded

(Miller)

5 - I'll Remember April

(de Paul, Johnston, Raye)

6 - My Funny Valentine

(Rodgers, Hart)

7 - Maid In Mexico

(Freeman)

8 - At Last

(Gordon, Warren)

9 - Winter Wonderland

(Bernard, Smith)

10 - Pirouette

(Rogers)

#1, #2:

Rolf Ericson, Chet Baker (trumpets); Bud Shank (alto sax);

Bob Cooper (tenor sax); Claude Williamson (piano);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Max Roach (drums).

#3, #4, #5:

Rolf Ericson, Chet Baker (trumpets); Bud Shank (alto sax);

Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax); Russ Freeman (piano);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Max Roach (drums).

#6:

Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax), Russ Freeman (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#7:

Rolf Ericson, Chet Baker (trumpets); Bud Shank (alto sax);

Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax); Russ Freeman (piano);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Max Roach (drums).

#8, #9:

Chet Baker (trumpet), Russ Freeman (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#10:

Rolf Ericson, Chet Baker (trumpets); Bud Shank (alto sax);

Bob Cooper (tenor sax); Claude Williamson (piano);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

✤✤✤✤

*CD 2*

1 - Jazz Invention

(Cooper)

2 - Which Doctor

(Cooper)

3 - Get Happy (incomplete)

(Arlen, Koehler)

4 - Infinity Promenade

(Rogers)

5 - Night In Tunisia

(Gillespie)

6 - 'Round Midnight

(Monk)

7 - Drum Conversation

(Roach)

8 - Down For Double

(Green)

9 - Maid In Mexico

(Freeman)

#1, #2:

Rolf Ericson, Chet Baker (trumpets); Bud Shank (alto sax);

Bob Cooper (tenor sax); Claude Williamson (piano);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

#3:

Rolf Ericson, Miles Davis, Chet Baker (trumpets); Bud Shank (alto sax);

Bob Cooper (tenor sax); Lorraine Geller (piano);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Max Roach (drums).

#4, #5:

Rolf Ericson, Miles Davis (trumpets); Bud Shank (alto sax);

Bob Cooper (tenor sax); Lorraine Geller (piano);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Max Roach (drums).

#6:

Miles Davis (trumpet), Lorraine Geller (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#7:

Max Roach (drums).

#8, #9:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Herb Geller (alto sax), Bud Shank (alto sax),

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

✤✤✤✤

*CD 3*

1 - Love Letters

(Young, Herman)

2 - Dickie's Dream

(Basie, Young)

3 - Adios

(Madriguera, Woods)

4 - Fascinatin' Rhythm

(Gershwin, Gershwin)

5 - Love Letters

(Young, Herman)

6 - Limehouse Blues

(Braham, Furber)

7 - Solitaire

(Russo)

8 - Just A Few

(Rogers)

9 - Lover Man

(Ramirez, Davis, Sherman)

10 - It's Only A Paper Moon

(Arlen, Harburg, Rose)

11 - Canonade

(Cooper)

12 - Lullaby Of The Leaves

(Petkere, Young)

13 - Strike Up The Band

(Gershwin, Gershwin)

14 - Witch Doctor

(Cooper)

#1, #2:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Herb Geller (alto sax), Bud Shank (alto sax),

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass); Max Roach (drums).

#3, #4, #5, #6:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Bud Shank (alto sax),

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Milt Bernhart (trombone),

Claude Williamson (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#7:

Milt Bernhart (trombone),Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#8:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Bud Shank (alto sax),

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Milt Bernhart (trombone),

Claude Williamson (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#9, #10:

Bud Shank (alto sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#11:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Bud Shank (alto sax),

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Milt Bernhart (trombone),

Claude Williamson (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#12, #13:

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#14:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Bud Shank (alto sax),

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Milt Bernhart (trombone),

Claude Williamson (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

✤✤✤✤

*CD 4*

1 - The Nearness Of You

(Carmichael, Washington)

2 - Tickle Toe

(Young)

3 - Funnyfied

(Giuffre)

4 - Cool Fool

(Cooper)

5 - Dickie's Dream

(Basie, Young)

6 - Out Of Nowhere

(Green, Heytman)

7 - Glidin' Along

(Giuffre)

8 - Beau Boy (a.k.a. Bean Bag = a.k.a. Loki)

(Rogers)

9 - Four Others

(Giuffre)

#1, #2:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#3, #4, #5:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Bud Shank (alto sax, baritone sax),

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Milt Bernhart (trombone),

Claude Williamson (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#6:

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#7, #8, #9:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Chet Baker (trumpet), Bud Shank (alto sax),

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

✤✤✤✤

*CD 5*

1 - Down For Double

(Green)

2 - Funnyfied

(Giuffre)

3 - Lullaby Of The Leaves

(Petkere, Young)

4 -Coming Through The Rye Bread

(Rogers)

5 - I May Be Wrong

(Sullivan, Ruskin)

6 - April In Paris

(Duke, Hayburg)

7 - After You've Gone

(Layton, Creamer)

8 - I'll Remember April

(de Paul, Johnston, Raye)

9 - Morgan Davis

(Rogers)

#1, #2:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Herb Geller (alto sax),

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#3:

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#4, #5:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Herb Geller (alto sax),

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#6, #7:

Herb Geller (alto sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#8, #9:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Herb Geller (alto sax),

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

✤✤✤✤

*CD 6*

1 - Strike Up The Band

(Gershwin, Gershwin)

2 - Woody 'N You

(Gillespie)

3 - The Nearness Of You

(Carmichael, Washington)

4 - Drum Conversation

(Roach)

5 - Cool Fool

(Cooper)

6 - Afrodesia

(Rogers)

7 - Dickie's Dream

(Basie, Young)

8 - These Foolish Things

(Strachey, Maschwitz)

9 - Taking A Chance On Love

(Duke, La Touche, Fetter)

#1:

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#2:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Herb Geller (alto sax),

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#3:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

#4:

Max Roach (drums).

#5 to #9:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Herb Geller (alto sax),

Bud Shank (alto sax, baritone sax), Bob Cooper (tenor sax),

Lorraine Geller (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

✤✤✤✤

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XVI ★ with Miles Davis

Miles Davis

And

The Lighthouse All-Stas

At Last!

This and the companion album recorded for a competing label (Contemporary) captures a magical September day in 1953. The companion album is titled Witch Doctor and is more focused on Chet Baker's performance that day.

The reason I have this album five stars, aside from the historic value and the superb playing, is the sound quality. It's not spectacular, but is surprisingly good for a live performance using 1953 recording technology and techniques. Listen to the sound samples and you will hear that the mix is very good - each instrument is where it should be - and the overall quality is more than adequate to enjoy this live performance.

The first three tracks are a continuation from the companion album I mentioned above. Miles seems to have taken over from Chet by accompanying Rolf Ericson on trumpet with Bud Shank on alto and baritone sax and Bob Cooper on tenor sax completing the front line. The rhythm section is Lorraine Geller on piano, Howard Rumsey on bass and Max Roach on drums.

On track 4 Max Roach treats to a four plus minute drum composition. I am not going to call it a solo because it has melodic qualities that Max perfected and is more focused on musical values than the bombastic showmanship most drummers display when given a solo spot.

The final track features Chet Baker backed by Russ Freeman on piano, Howard Rumsey on bass and Max Roach on drums.

This album was recorded for the Fantasy label at Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach, CA on September 13, 1953. It's a rare glimpse into a West Coast institution (Rumsey's lighthouse) as well as a glimpse into the early and nascent years of West Coast jazz.

*Mike Tarrani (amazon.com)

In 1953, Miles Davis sat in one Sunday afternoon at the Lighthouse. No big deal; lots of people sat in at the Lighthouse, and Davis was no more famous than most and less famous than many. Fame, big fame, was two or three years away for Miles. There was no compelling reason to issue the recordings made that afternoon. Les Koenig probably figured he had more interesting All-Stars material in the can, so the tapes sat around for three decades. And when they emerged, guess what: they were interesting, not just historically but musically. Miles solos on classics by Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie and on a Shorty Rogers original that has an affinity for Tadd Dameron's "Good Bait". The other tracks are an intriguing drum solo by Max Roach and a lovely ballad by guests Chet Baker and Russ Freeman. This was not just another Sunday at the Lighthouse. *milesdavis.com*

Of note:

His three performances here represent the entire Miles Davis set, except for an opening "Get Happy", on which the tape machine was turned off after the first five minutes (catching only the opening trumpet and a rather nice alto solo). Miles played the entire set on a borrowed horn, and without a mute. 

"Drum Conversation," a drum solo by Max Roach, concluded the set. (Actually, on the session tape it is followed by an unidentified woman beginning to sing "That Old Black Magic"; mercifully, the tape machine was turned off almost at once. Things seem to have been pretty loose on Crazy Sunday.) The musicians left on a dinner break. The Chet Baker—Russ Freeman—Rumsey—Roach quartet version of "At Last" which closes the album was actually a part of the set preceding Davis's. Baker seems not to have ever recorded the tune, either before or since, certainly not during his West Coast period. *Ed Michel (from the liner notes)*

1 - Infinity Promenade

(Shorty Rogers)

2 - 'Round Midnight

(Bernie Hanighen, Cootie Williams, Thelonious Monk)

3 - A Night In Tunisia

(Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli)

4 - Drum Conversation

(Max Roach)

5 - At Last

(Harry Gordon, Mack Warren)

#1, #2, #3:

Miles Davis, Rolf Ericson (trumpets); Bud Shank (alto sax,baritone sax [#3]);

Bob Cooper (tenor sax); Lorraine Geller (piano);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Max Roach (drums).

#4:

Max Roach (drums).

#5:

Chet Baker (trumpet), Russ Freeman (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass) , Max Roach (drums).

Recorded live at The Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, California, September 13, 1953

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XV ★ with Chet Baker

Chet Baker

And

The Lighthouse All-Stars

Witch Doctor

Why this live performance set in the can for thirty-two years is a mystery to me. It set in the vault until it was finally released in 1985. Better late than never. This features very early Chet who is accompanied by the who's who of West Coast jazz. In fact as you run through the sound samples you will clearly hear that this is anything but the stereotypical, 'cool' music we are led to believe epitomized that style. The entire ensemble is on fire.

As you listen to the sound samples you will hear a bump or distinct shift on the last two tracks. That is because there was a personnel shift in which Bob Cooper replaces Jimmy Giuffre on tenor sax in the front line and the pianist and drummer are replaced by Claude Williamson and Shelly Manne respectively.

The core tracks feature a front line comprised of Baker and Rolf Ericson on trumpet, Bud Shank on alto and baritone sax and Jimmy Giuffre on tenor sax. The rhythm section features Russ Freeman on piano, Howard Rumsey on bass and Max Roach on drums.

This album was recorded for the Contemporary label at Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach, CA on September 13, 1953. There is another album, recorded for the Fantasy label, that was recorded at the venue on the same day with an expanded line-up that is also worth checking out: At Last! *Mike Tarrani (amazon.com)*

Recorded live at the famous Lighthouse club in Hermosa Beach, California this LP finds Baker playing well, if not very consistently, and features a shifting group behind him that includes, on various tracks, saxophonists Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, and Jimmy Giuffre; pianists Russ Freeman, and the underrated Claude Williamson. "The Lighthouse All-Stars" included Howard Rumsey on bass and drummers Max Roach and Shelly Manne. The sound quality is fair and the playing occasionally gets a little bit sloppy — Baker's solo work on "Pirouette" is especially dodgy — but there are some moments of real inspiration, including the band' s boppish uptempo reading of "Winter Wonderland" and Manne's inventive percussion on the Latin-flavored Cooper composition "Witch Doctor". There are better introductions to the Lighthouse sound, but this album is sure to please Chet Baker fans. *Rick Anderson (allmusic.com)*

Of note:

This album is a companion volume to At Last! Miles Davis and the Lighthouse All-Stars, recorded on the same Sunday afternoon in September 1953, part of a glorious day-long session at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California (the tape boxes were marked "Crazy Sunday", which tells one something).

This group's set closed with with Bob Cooper's "Witch Doctor", which the Lighthouse All-Stars would record in Contemporary’s studio in October and again in concert performance at Laguna in June 1955. The present version features solos by Rolf Ericson, Bud Shank, Baker, and Claude Williamson, under which Bud can be heard on maracas, Bob on claves, and Rolf on cowbell.

Following the break, the next set would feature sitters-in Miles Davis and pianist Lorraine Geller. The results can be heard on the album At Last! *Ed Michel (from the liner notes)*

1 - Loaded

(Bernard Miller)

2 - I'll Remember April

(Gene de Paul, Patricia Johnston, Don Raye)

3 - Winter Wonderland

(Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith)

4 - Pirouette

(Shorty Rogers)

5 -Witch Doctor

(Bob Cooper)

Chet Baker, Rolf Ericson (trumpets); Bud Shank (alto sax, baritone sax);

Jimmy Giuffre [#1, #2], Bob Cooper [#3,#4, #5] (tenor saxes);

Russ Freeman [#1,#2, #3], Claude Williamson [#4, #5] (pianos);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Max Roach [#1,#2, #3], Shelly Manne [#4, #5] (drums).

Recorded live at The Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, California  September 13, 1953

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XIV

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars

Live In The Solo Spotlight

By the end of 1952 Howard Rumsey had transformed a small local bar in Hermosa Beach, California into a name known around the world. The Lighthouse became the centerpiece of the West Coast Jazz scene and the Lighthouse All-Stars became international jazz celebrities. Situated just a few yards from the beach with the cool ocean breeze and the smell of salt water in the air, it was the picture perfect setting for what would become known as "West Coast Jazz".

But that wasn't always the case.

In 1949 when Howard first came upon the Lighthouse there wasn't anything about it that would foresee it's future success. It was small and dingy, primarily catering to a rough merchant seaman crowd and it was close to going out of business.

Howard suggested to owner John Levine that he try putting on a jazz jam session on Sunday afternoons. The Lighthouse had been having live music with a variety of local musicians but it hadn't made much of an impact, plus in 1949 it was universally accepted that Sunday was the worst day of the week for the liquor business. Luckily, Levine was a gambler and figured he didn't have anything to lose at that point, so on May 29, 1949 Howard presented his first Sunday session at the Lighthouse and recalled "We propped open the doors and started blasting and within an hour we had more people in the place than Levine had seen all week".

The success of that first Sunday established the weekly Sunday Jam Session policy and became a tradition that helped catapult the Lighthouse into it's role as the center of West Coast Jazz.

Over the next couple of years Howard was able to replace the merchant seaman crowd with college age kids coming in off the beach to hear the live jazz and Sundays continued to be the featured attraction. The sessions started in the afternoon and ran until 2 in the morning. The Lighthouse All-Stars served as the core group with different guest musicians sitting in each week. The guest artists ran the gamut from local up and coming artists to established stars including big name out of town visitors.

This disc features guest artists captured live with the All-Stars by Bob Andrews and Donald Dean, two local jazz fans who frequented the Lighthouse with their tape recorders. The sound quality varies from track to track and while not professional recordings they are extremely important historical documents of those Sundays in Hermosa Beach and we are happy to be able to share them with you. All of the recordings are previously unissued. *Ken Poston (from the liner notes, 2014)*

About The Lighthouse Cafe:

A couple of years ago, Howard Rumsey, one of the original Kentonites (bass), would have been rated by most as washed up with the music business. He had taken a job as tile setter and was glad to be heading a little combo on Sunday afternoons at the Lighthouse café in Hermosa Beach, a small beach town about 45 minutes from Hollywood.

Today, thanks mainly to Howard's constructive, intelligent job of developing and presenting, with the cooperation of the management, a sound, CONSISTENT, policy, the Lighthouse has become virtually a full-time operation with a notable group of musicians holding the stand Wednesday through Sunday.

The Sunday sessions start at 2 p.m. and run to midnight, with special guest stars (paid—not just “sitting in” and blasting without purpose) appearing from 2 to 6 p.m.

The payoff is that it is paying off—and big. Business has been consistently good, even during the past winter (off-season at beach towns) and the place is so packed all day Sundays you have to get there early to get a seat near the bandstand. The fact that the drinks are good, prices are reasonable, and nobody gets hustled is an important factor. Says Howard, in summing up:

"The things that make us happy is that the crowds we are drawing, aren't full of these so-called 'hipsters' and queer characters so often associated with our kind of music. I think we’re getting what you might call a good cross section of that 'general public' that's supposed to shy away from good music, just as, I think, musicians are inclined to shy away from the 'general public'. There’s a mental hazard there on both sides. We've managed to cross it on a kind of imaginary bridge".

*Hal Holly, "The Hollywood Beat", Down Beat, August 24, 1951*

Fortunately for fans of Jazz on the West Coast and for posterity, Bob Andrews and Donald Dean, two local Jazz devotees, frequented the Lighthouse with their tape recorders and some of what they recorded has been issued on CD under the auspices of the Los Angeles Jazz Institute headed up by Ken Poston.

The sound quality varies from track to track and while not professional recordings they are extremely important historical documents of those Sundays in Hermosa Beach. All of the recordings are previously unissued. *Steven A. Cerra*

1 - Love Me Or Leave Me

 (Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn)

Art Pepper (alto sax); Doug Mettome, Shorty Rogers (trumpets);

Hampton Hawes (piano); Howard Rumsey (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, June 3 (or 10), 1951

2 - Blue Moon

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) 

Maynard Ferguson (trumpet), Frank Patchen (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, 1952

3 - Stuffy

(Coleman Hawkins)

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Shorty Rogers (trumpet), Bob Cooper (tenor sax),

Frank Patchen (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, June 14, 1952

4 - Scrapple From The Apple

(Charlie Parker)

Stan Getz, Arno Marsh (tenor saxes); Shorty Rogers (trumpet); Milt Bernhart (trombone);

Hampton Hawes (piano); Charlie Drayton (bass); Larry Bunker (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, September 14, 1952

5 - Indiana

(Warne Marsh)

Warne Marsh (tenor sax), Frank Patchen (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, December 14, 1952

6 - Perdido

(Juan Tizol)

Harry "Sweets" Edison, Shorty Rogers (trumpets); Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax);

Milt Bernhart (trombone); Hampton Hawes (piano);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, February 8, 1953

7 - Maid In Mexico

(Russ Freeman)

Chet Baker, Rolf Ericson (trumpets); Bud Shank (alto sax); Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax);

Russ Freeman (piano); Howard Rumsey (bass); Max Roach (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, September 13, 1953

8 - Everything Happens To Me

(Matt Dennis, Tom Adair)

Jack Sheldon (trumpet), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, March 7, 1954

9 - Toots Sweete (Suite)

(Bill Holman)

Bob Cooper, Zoot Sims (tenor saxes); Bud Shank (alto sax);

Stu Williams (trumpet); Frank Rosolino (trombone);

Claude Williamson (piano); Howard Rumsey (bass); Stan Levey (drums);

Lighthouse Cafe, March 7, 1954

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XIII

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars

On The Air 1957

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars On the Air features two complete radio broadcasts from late 1957. These broadcasts come from a short-lived program called Nightlife which aired on KMLA 100.3 FM beginning in the fall of 1957.

We're very fortunate that these broadcasts exist, especially when you consider the state of FM radio in 1957. FM was still somewhat a novelty and programming was mostly classical music, easy listening and other non-popular programming. As a matter of fact, most popular brands of radios that were available at that time didn't even have an FM band. AM was still king and would remain so for another 20 plus years. Besides the fact that FM wasn't widely listened to, this was a local broadcast that aired at 11:30 pm on Wednesday nights. It was a live broadcast so the only way for these programs to survive was for someone to record them off the air. (...)

These KMLA broadcasts represent a time of transition in the Lighthouse personnel and come at a time when the All-Stars were not well represented on commercial recordings. The working All-Stars unit made their last record for the Contemporary label in October of 1956, the classic "Music For Lighthousekeeping". There was one final recording for Contemporary in March of 1957 that featured an augmented version of the All-Stars to fill out a 12" release of "In The Solo Spotlight". (...)

For this members-only CD we have included two full broadcasts both with the same personnel: Conte Candoli, Bob Cooper, Frank Rosolino, Victor Feldman, Howard Rumsey and Stan Levey. One broadcast comes from November 20, 1957 and the other from December 18 featuring a special program devoted to the music of Bob Cooper.

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars On the Air gives us a rare opportunity to transport ourselves back to the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach circa 1957 to experience the West Coast Jazz scene at it's finest. *Ken Poston (from the liner notes)*

1 - I Deal • Broadcast Introduction

(Sonny Clark) • (Donn Harling [Announcer])

2 - Jazz Invention

(Bob Cooper)

3 - Nightlife

(Bob Cooper)

4 - Lighthouse Commercial

(Donn Harling [Announcer])

5 - Octavia

(Bob Cooper)

6 - Moto

(Bob Cooper)

7 - Lighthouse Commercial

(Donn Harling [Announcer])

8 - Snap The Whip

(Bob Cooper)

9 - Topsy

(Durham, Battle)

10 - Jubilation

(Bob Cooper)

11 - Somebody Loves Me

(Gershwin, MacDonald, DeSylva)

12 - Round Midnight

(Thelonious Monk)

13 - Confirmation

(Charlie Parker)

14 - Musician Introductions • Lighthouse Commercial

(Donn Harling [Announcer])

15 - Long Ago And Far Away

(Kern, Gershwin)

16 - Topsy • Broadcast Closing

(Durham, Battle)

Howard Rumsey (leader, bass), Conte Candoli (trumpet), Bob Cooper (tenor sax),

Frank Rosolino (trombone), Victor Feldman (piano, vibes), Stan Levey (drums).

KMLA's "Night Life" Broadcast from Lighthouse Cafe,

September 19 (#1 to #6) and November 20 (#7 to #16), 1957

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XII

In the remaining ten chapters of our Lighthouse All-Stars series, we'll go straight to where the magic happened. The albums we have left to present are live recordings, captured right there in that Pacific sanctuary known as the Lighthouse Café.

If you think about it, the story is incredible. Picture Howard Rumsey—who had been playing with Stan Kenton—walking along the Hermosa Beach boardwalk in 1949 and stepping into a somewhat gloomy, nautical-themed bar that had almost no customers. The owner was John Levine, a millionaire and obsessive gambler who had recently purchased the place. When Rumsey pitched the idea of playing jazz, Levine was blunt: he told him that Sunday afternoons were the worst possible time to sell liquor. But Rumsey, who already had his eye on a grand piano Levine had installed, stood his ground and asked for a chance to prove that the music would bring in the crowds.

For that first Sunday on May 29, 1949, Rumsey recruited the most powerful musicians he could find in the city. They threw the front doors wide open and, to Levine's surprise, the place packed out immediately. The display of talent from those soloists was so immense that the group's name was born right then and there: the Lighthouse All-Stars. That single bet transformed a nearly non-existent beach bar into the epicenter of the West Coast scene for the next 22 years.

What you will hear in these recordings isn't that "anaemic" jazz that some critics used to associate with California; this music has muscle. Rumsey was a strategist who systematically refused to take the band on tour because he wanted the club to be a place of pilgrimage. He forced everyone, from Hollywood stars to record label executives, to drive down to Hermosa Beach just to see what was happening on that bandstand. The club eventually became the perfect haven for musicians who, tired of the road, were looking to play top-tier jazz and finally settle down under the sun.

Everything happened on that stage. It is said that even Charlie Parker himself showed up one day and stayed for two hours playing tenor sax. For the club's history, this happened, and it remains one of its most sacred anecdotes; even if for the official discography it remains a "myth" without physical evidence, the legend is an inseparable part of the atmosphere there. As you listen to these tracks, you will hear the clinking of the cash register and the murmur of a crowd that sometimes attended in their swimwear. It is, quite literally, the sound of jazz history being recorded as it unfolded in front of the waves.

To open this final part of the series, we will focus on three extremely special and hard-to-find volumes, released by the Los Angeles Jazz Institute (LAJI).

The LAJI is more than just an institution; it is the sanctuary that guards the memory of West Coast Jazz. Thanks to their preservation efforts, they have rescued unissued recordings that would have otherwise vanished. These first three albums I am presenting are exclusive editions, originally released only for Institute members. They are true treasures capturing intimate and vibrant moments at the club—recordings that aren’t found through regular commercial channels and have become genuine collector's items today.

It is truly a pity that, due to the very nature of these highly restricted archive editions, the blog cannot secure all of these recordings to share with all of you. Accessing this material is almost a task of musical archaeology; they are records that remain, for the most part, reserved for members or for those collectors lucky enough to stumble upon a stray copy. Nevertheless, the value of these three volumes is immeasurable in understanding what was actually happening on the Lighthouse stage when the cameras and major labels weren't watching.

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars

Modern Jazz a la Lighthouse

The Los Angeles Jazz Institute, under the guidance of Howard Rumsey, has been granted permission to relaunch The Lighthouse Record Company.

The Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach, California was the symbolic headquarters of the West Coast Jazz movement of the 1950s and Howard Rumsey’s Lighthouse All-Stars became one of the most important groups of the decade. Sundays at the Lighthouse became a Southern California tradition because of the legendary marathon sessions that took place every week with visiting guest musicians augmenting the All Stars lineup.

Our first "members only" release features several different eras of the Lighthouse All Stars recorded live over a five year period. Many of these recordings took place during Sunday sessions at The Lighthouse so a variety of guest artists are included as well.

This is an important historical document which displays the significant role that the Lighthouse played in the development of modern jazz in Southern California and we are happy to be able to share it with you. *Ken Poston (from the liner notes)*

Note:

The recordings on this CD come from a variety of sources, some of which were recorded under non-professional conditions. We felt however that the rarity and uniqueness of the performances precluded any flaws in the recording quality.

1 - 30 Pier Ave.

(Jimmy Giuffre)

2 - Coop De Ville

(Bob Cooper)

3 - Big Boy

(Jimmy Giuffre)

Shorty Rogers (trumpet); Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Cooper (tenor saxes); Milt Bernhart (trombone);

Hampton Hawes (piano); Howard Rumsey (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, March 15, 1953

4 - Topsy

(Eddie Durham, Edgar Battle )

Stan Getz, Bob Cooper (tenor saxes); Jimmy Giuffre (baritone sax); Teddy Charles (vibes);

Russ Freeman (piano); Howard Rumsey (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, March 15, 1953

5 - What's New

(Bob Haggart)

Maynard Ferguson (trumpet), Hampton Hawes (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Shelly Manne (drums)

Lighthouse Cafe, June 21, 1953 

6 -Lester Leaps In

(Lester Young)

Harry "Sweets" Edison, Shorty Rogers (trumpets); Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Cooper (tenor saxes);

Russ Freeman (piano); Howard Rumsey (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, June 21, 1953

7 - Funnyfied

(Jimmy Giuffre)

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Herb Geller (alto sax),

Claude Williamson (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, September 13, 1953

8 - No Socks

(Howard Roberts)

Stu Williamson (trumpet); Zoot Sims, Bud Shank (tenor saxes); Claude Williamson (piano);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Stan Levey (drums); Jack Costanzo (conga).

Lighthouse Cafe, November 28, 1954

9 - Now I Lay Me Down To Dream

(Ted Fiorito)

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Frank Rosolino (trombone),

Sonny Clark (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

ABC TV Studios, Hollywood, California, September 3, 1956

10 - Gal In Calico

(Robin, Schwartz)

Conte Candoli (trumpet), Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Frank Rosolino (trombone),

Dick Shreve (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, 1957

11 - Evening In Paris

(Victor Feldman)

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Frank Rosolino (trombone),

Victor Feldman (piano, vibes), Howard Rumsey (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, 1958

12 - Lighthouse Commercial • Confirmation • Topsy

(Charlie Parker) • (Eddie Durham, Edgar Battle )

KMLA's "Night Life" Broadcast from Lighthouse Cafe,1957

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XI

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars

Jazz Structures

This album represents a fundamental turning point and, in many ways, the conclusion of the canonical corpus of the Lighthouse All-Stars recordings. Although it fits chronologically into the Lighthouse All-Stars Collection series, its nature demands a dual interpretation: on one hand, it belongs to the band's main line; on the other, as Howard Rumsey himself did not participate as a session musician, the record functions as a natural heir to the Lighthouse Series that the All-Stars produced for the Liberty label.

Unlike the recordings captured in the effervescent atmosphere of the club in Hermosa Beach, Jazz Structures sought an almost "architectural" clarity. To achieve this, Rumsey moved the project to United Recording Corp. in Hollywood. Under the technical direction of Bill Putnam, the studio environment allowed for a technical precision impossible to reach in a live setting, capturing Bob Cooper’s complex arrangements with absolute fidelity. The use of specialized microphones and the controlled acoustics of United Recording provided this work with a unique sonic texture within the group's discography.

It is worth noting that while this album marks the end of a formal era, the legacy of the Lighthouse All-Stars — with or without Howard Rumsey in their ranks — extends through many more recordings. Much of that material, generally recorded live and featuring top-tier special guests (Miles Davis, Art Pepper, Stan Getz), is currently scattered across official releases and valuable unreleased recordings that we will be discovering in the near future.

It was over 12 years ago that bassist Howard Rumsey left the Stan Kenton Orchestra and, in his own words, "decided to find a permanent home for the music of jazz on the west coast". Today, the Howard Rumsey All-Stars, based at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California, are internationally famous. As Stan Kenton says today: "Much credit must go to Rumsey as a pioneer and an enlightened promoter for the best in jazz". For the past five years, composer-tenorist Bob Cooper (or "Coop" as he is affectionately known) has been a leading member of Rumsey's Lighthouse group.

"Les Novros, head of Graphic Films, wanted to have jazz as the background music for his A BUILDING IS MANY BUILDINGS picture", Howard Rumsey tells. "This is a color documentary film showing the construction of the new Union Oil building in downtown Los Angeles".

"Novros wanted mostly improvisation originally", Rumsey continues. "I arranged for Bob Cooper to do the score and he took off like a bird. 'Coop' was so impressed by the calibre of the film that he went a lot further, musically, than we had planned".

"The score is a mixture of classical and jazz", Rumsey concludes, "and I think that 'Coop' really outdid himself!". (from the liner notes)

One of the most exciting jazz bands of the musically fertile '50s and '60s, Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars performed a wide variety of styles ranging from standard bebop and post-bop to the cool West Coast style. The band also included several first-rate arrangers and composers, with Jimmy Giuffre and Bob Cooper receiving special mention. The band also included many of the top musicians of the West Coast jazz scene that boasted the likes of Conte Candoli, Frank Rosolino (who are featured here), Bud Shank, Bill Perkins, Victor Feldman and Stan Levey, to name but a few. This particular release showcases the versatility of this exciting group. Jazz Structures reveals both the complexity of the compositions and precision of the arrangements. All of the charts were written, arranged and conducted by Bob Cooper. The album features the music that Cooper scored for Les Novros documentary A Building Is Many Buildings, where the construction of the new "Union Oil Building" in Los Angeles is described in this film. *Jordi Pujol*

Side 1

1 - Genesis (Pt. II)

2 - Architectonics

Directional Suite 

3 - Introduction

4 - a) Impulse

5 - b) Automatons

6 - c) Impulsion (Pt. 1)

7 - c) Impulsion (Pt. 2)

Side 2

Directional Suit

(continued)

8 - d) Complexus

The Worker 

9 - a) Rain Blues

10 - b) In The Morning

11 - c) Quittin' Time

12 - Edifice

(All compositions by Bob Cooper)

#1 to #8 and #10:

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Conte Candoli (trumpet), Frank Rosolino (trombone), 

Buddy Collette (bass clarinet [#2], baritone sax [#1, #3 to #8]),

Bud Shank (alto sax [#1,#8 ], B-flat clarinet [#2], flute [#3 to #8]),

Victor Feldman (piano, vibes, tambourine, conga, boo-bams and bongos [#2 to #8]),

Monty Budwig (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

#9, #11, #12:

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Conte Candoli (trumpet), Frank Rosolino (trombone),

Buddy Collette (bass clarinet [#9], baritone sax [#12]),

Bud Shank (alto sax [#12], alto flute [#9, #11]),

Joe Castro (piano), Larry Bunker (vibes), Red Callender (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

Howard Rumsey (leader)

Recorded at United Recording Corp., Hollywood, California,

November 21 (#1, #2), November 22 (#3 to #7) and November 29 (#8 to #12), 1960.

Note:

When analyzing the "Directional Suite" in the liner notes, the following peculiarity is noted:

""This particular music depicts workers driving little electric carts", Bob Cooper remembers. "Victor Feldman plays boo-bams here. They're a kind of tuned bongo. After more effusive drum work by Stan Levey, there's simultaneous jazz improvisation. The separation of this collective invention is particularly remarkable in the stereo version of this album".

Consequently, both versions (monaural and stereo) are presented here to

allow for comparison and to appreciate the specific sonic detail described.

Five-Star Collection... Erroll Garner

Erroll Garner

That's My Kick

This was Erroll Garner's first traditional studio album in five years and perhaps his most ambitious album ever as a composer. The selections were surely inspired by the new array of musicians assembled for the sessions, including percussionist José Mangual, who would go on to play with Garner for the rest of his career. The electric atmosphere captured on tape here is at times raucous and always palpably joyful.

The Erroll Garner Octave Remastered Series represents the heart of Erroll Garner's recorded catalog. Spanning 12 albums and the last 18 years of Garner's career, this collection of music is among the most important in the history of jazz. It represents an artist in his prime, with full creative and commercial control of his output following his break with Columbia Records. *mackavenue.com*

Actually, this isn't a recording. It's live music in your living room — and it's a ball. It romps with a lack of inhibitions and tenseness rarely captured in the uptight and businesslike sterility of a recording studio. The feeling is one of now and close. The musicians were playing for the fun of it right then and not for some vague and unknown listener someplace and sometime else.

Immediacy and presence: Empathy and joy. The life hasn't been programmed out of the human beings here, as it so often is in our "advanced" society, in favor of that glossy God Technology, which will soon program the life out of all of us if we are not careful. It takes a man with the energy of Erroll Garner to achieve audio-fidelity with humanity, not at the sacrifice of it.

Erroll is the only guy around who can sound like two different instruments playing at two different tempos at the same time, and still swing. His left hand is a guitar pushing the beat, his right a pianist lagging. They meet, somehow, and where they do is right where the rhythm section is — the right place to be. Erroll's time is here extended; extended to and meshed perfectly with the rhythm section. The bongos and the balance reflect a more important role for the accompaniment than in Erroll's past. They nest together like lovers in a haystack, five people making music together — as one. (...)

Primarily, though, we owe him thanks for the happy energy his music gives to us and to that extent this record adds to his vital body of recorded works. It is the same joy, even more so.

*Michael Zwerin (from the liner notes)*

Garner's first album in many years without his custom-tailored rhythm section (and with the addition of bongos and guitar) finds him in excellent form, and top-drawer Garner is as good as they come.

A peculiar snobbishness has kept a number of jazz critics from giving Garner his due. Partly, it's the old claptrap: can a musician become a star attraction and remain a creative artist, and variants of this jive question; and partly, it's the ease with which Garner makes music, and the joy he takes in his work — there just isn't enough Sturm und Drang to satisfy those who insist that an artist must suffer to be great.

This distorted perspective (which fortunately has not affected Garner's career one whit) has brought about an absurd situation: though he has been proving it for more than 20 years, one still feels compelled to repeat that Garner is one of the few truly great and original figures to emerge in jazz since the mid-40s; a unique and astonishing musician whose work brings beauty and happiness to the world.

There are no fewer than six Garner originals on this record, all of them substantial. My favorite, as far as interpretation is concerned, is the latin-tinged Afinidad, on which the pianist really gets into something, and the rhythm section achieves a floating feeling, not least due to Ryerson's first-class support, and the late George Jenkins' excellent drumming (these two players are present only on this and the lilting, melodic title track).

Of the other Garner pieces, Gaslight is a vintage ballad in the romantic Misty mold, tastefully played — and if you want to hear full-bodied piano-sound at its fullest, watch for Garner's climax.

Nervous Waltz is a delightful piece, its melody akin to Kick (not the bridge, though). Garner's marvelous ability to produce a lagging swing (his time, generally speaking, is out of sight) is displayed to perfection here. Passing Through, a catchy up-tempo piece, has some - fine single note passages and never stops flowing, while the gospel-flavored Like It Is indicates that Garner could really get Ramsey Lewis and his ilk in bad trouble.

Garner has an amazing ability to revitalize material that others have wrung dry. Who would think that Autumn Leaves could still sound fresh? It does under Garner's fingers, moving at a brisk, unsentimental clip, with his orchestral conception of the piano to the fore.

Contemporary harmonies are in evidence here, and even more so on Necessarily, perhaps the most brilliant single performance in the set. The voicings in the exposition are marvelous, and the ensuing improvisation full of surprises.

The other standards — Smile, Moon, More — are more "routine" Garner, but that, too, means superior music. Besides, whenever you begin to anticipate Garner, he pulls you up with a startling idea. On More, it's a fascinating contrapuntal break; on Smile, the transitional chords linking the exposition and second chorus (speaking of "freedom"...) and on Moon, the surprise introduction.

Of the rhythm players not mentioned above, Mangual has the greatest empathy with Garner. He became a regular in the new Garner quartet organized after this session. Hinton is solid, as expected, and Lovelle a bit reticent. The guitar has been dispensed with, and with Garner's left hand in action, it won't be missed. The new group has been received with enthusiasm, and the next Garner album should be something to look forward to. But aren't they all?

*Dan Morgenstern (Down Beat, August 24, 1967 [5 stars])*

 

1 - That's My Kick

(Erroll Garner)

2 - The Shadow Of Your Smile

(Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster)

3 - Like It Is

(Erroll Garner)

4 - It Ain't Necessarily So

(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)

5 - Autumn Leaves

(Jacques Prévert, Johnny Mercer, Joseph Cosma)

6 - Blue Moon

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

7 - More

(Nino Oliviero, Norman Newell, Riziero Ortolani)

8 - Gaslight

(Erroll Garner)

9 - Nervous Waltz

(Erroll Garner)

10 - Passing Through

(Erroll Garner)

11 - Afinidad

(Erroll Garner)

12 - She Walked on

(Erroll Garner)

#1, #11, #12:

Erroll Garner (piano), Milt Hinton (bass), Art Ryerson (guitar),

George Jenkins (drums), Johnny Pacheco (bongos).

Recorded at RCA Studios, New York City, April 13, 1966

#2 to #10:

Erroll Garner (piano), Milt Hinton (bass), Wally Richardson (guitar),

Herbert Lovelle (drums), José Mangual (bongos).

Recorded at RCA Studios, New York City, November 19, 1966