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