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