Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XXV ★ with Gerry Mulligan

Gerry Mulligan

Swing House

Gerry Mulligan On The West Coast 

Rare Ands Unissued Recordings • 1952

✤✤

More Mulligan at The Lighthouse

At the end of 1951, fleeing police pressure in New York, Gerry Mulligan embarked on a journey to the West Coast that would permanently reshape his career and the sound of modern jazz. Freshly arrived in Los Angeles, the saxophonist split his creative focus between commercial discipline—crafting dance arrangements for the Stan Kenton Orchestra—and the absolute freedom of the local club scene. It was in these informal settings that the passion and tape recorder of Bob Andrews captured, on an amateur yet historically invaluable basis, the very jam sessions that document Mulligan's transition toward worldwide acclaim and the birth of his legendary piano-less quartet. This crucial historical testament is beautifully captured by Ken Poston in the original liner notes:

At the end of 1951 Gerry Mulligan decided to leave New York and head west to Los Angeles. The vice squad had started putting heavy pressure on jazz musicians and Gerry didn’t want to put up with it any longer. His girlfriend, Gale Madden, had paved the way for Gerry to write arrangements for Stan Kenton once they got to Los Angeles. In the middle of the winter they left Manhattan and hitchhiked all the way to the west coast.

Once there they moved into the Harvey Hotel and Gerry fulfilled his writing assignment for Kenton. He also began sitting in around town at whatever jam sessions he could find. There were three places in particular that he frequented; the Showtime, in the San Fernando Valley, the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach and the Haig in the mid-Wilshire district.

Most of the recordings on this collection were made by Bob Andrews, jazz fan, record store owner and amateur recording engineer. In 1952 he had just started to take his tape recorder to local jazz clubs and although nothing has materialized from the Showtime he did capture Gerry Mulligan several times at the Lighthouse and the Haig. In addition to the jam session recordings we’ve included a few of the lesser heard dance arrangements he wrote for Kenton in 1952.

This is an important historical document because it captures Gerry just a few months after his arrival in Los Angeles and follows his progress up to the point he forms the piano-less quartet. Although he had many accomplishments by the time he came to Los Angeles, he was far from a household name in the jazz world. By the end of the year he had gained world wide attention and was instrumental in establishing the west coast jazz phenomenon.

*Ken Poston (from the liner notes)*

1 - Indiana

(James F. Hanley, Ballard MacDonald)

This is the earliest of the Bob Andrews recordings that captured Gerry Mulligan sitting in around Los Angeles. This was actually recorded on a Saturday night and features Mulligan joining the Lighthouse rhythm section.

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Frank Patchen (piano)

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

Recorded live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, May 10, 1952

2 - Robbins' Nest

(Illinois Jacquet, Sir Charles Thompson)

"Robbins' Nest" features Mulligan sitting in with the Lighthouse All Stars at one of the legendary Sunday sessions at the Lighthouse.

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax); Shorty Rogers (trumpet);

Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Cooper (tenor saxes); Frank Patchen (piano);

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

Recorded live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, June 1, 1952

3 - Tiny's Blues

(Tiny Kahn)

Two nights later Mulligan was running the off-night jam session at the Haig and on this occasion Gerry played the tenor as opposed to the baritone. Tiny's Blues has been issued a few times over the years but always with the incorrect date. This recording comes from Bob Andrews original reel which has the recording date documented on the box.

Gerry Mulligan, Dave Pell (tenor saxes), Ted Ottison (trumpet);

Paul Smith (piano); Joe Mondragon (bass); Billy Wilson (drums).

Recorded live at The Haig, Los Angeles, June 3, 1952

4 - Rose Room

(Art Hickman, Harry Williams)

Bob Andrews captured Gerry once again the following week at the Haig. Gerry ran things from the bandstand but it was an open session for anyone who wanted to play. On this particular occasion both Conrad Gozzo and Gene Roland dropped by.

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax); Conrad Gozzo, Gene Roland (trumpets);

Jimmy Rowles (piano); Howard Roberts (guitar); Joe Mondragon (bass); Unknown (drums).

Recorded live at The Haig, Los Angeles, June 10, 1952

5 - It's Sand Man

(Ed Lewis)

The jam sessions at the Lighthouse worked a little different than those at the Haig. Howard Rumsey invited specific guests although he did allow others to sit in throughout the day. This is the working Lighthouse All Stars with Andy Lambert subbing for Rumsey.

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Shorty Rogers (trumpet),

Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax), Milt Bernhart (trombone),

Frank Patchen (piano), Andy Lambert (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, June 14, 1952

6 - Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

(Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler)

More from the June 14 session. Aaron Sachs and Tommy Potter were both in town with Earl Hines band and Howard recruited them to come down for the session.

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Aaron Sachs (clarinet),

Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax), Frank Patchen (piano),

Tommy Potter (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, June 14, 1952

7 - Get Happy / Utter Chaos

(Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler / Gerry Mulligan)

Red Norvo came in as the featured attraction and the house piano was put into storage. Instead of continuing the jam session format on Tuesday nights Gerry formed his own group and the "piano-less quartet" was born. Gerry handpicked the group from musicians he had played with around town and included Chet Baker at the suggestion of Bob Whitlock. This recording was not made by Bob Andrews, but by another fan that sent the tape to Mulligan many years later. August 1952 is the date written on the tape box although it's possible it comes from a bit later. If it is August of 1952 it would be right at the beginning of the quartet.

Gerry Mulligan Quartet:

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Chet Baker (trumpet),

Bob Whitlock (bass), Chico Hamilton (drums).

Recorded live at The Haig, Los Angeles, August, 1952

8 - Bweebida Bobbida

(Gerry Mulligan)

In October of 1952 Shorty Rogers had been a regular member of the Lighthouse All Stars for a year. Shorty had recorded under his own name, separate from the All Stars, and was really beginning to make a name for himself. Howard Rumsey used to allow him to take nights off from the Lighthouse so he could lead his own band for special engagements. During the fall Shorty formed a super group that included both Mulligan and Chet Baker as well as Art Pepper and Wardell Gray. The Mulligan group had completed their first engagement at the Haig and recorded their first sides for the new Pacific Jazz label. This Shorty Rogers group did at least two engagements. The first was a Gene Norman concert at The Rendezvous Ballroom, which was released on two LAJI members only CDs. This engagement took place at the 5-4 Ballroom in south central Los Angeles.

Shorty Rogers and His Giants:

Shorty Rogers, Chet Baker (trumpets); Art Pepper (alto sax);

Wardell Gray (tenor sax); Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax);

John Graas (french horn); Hampton Hawes (p);

Joe Mondragon (bass); Lawrence Marable (drums).

Recorded live at 5-4 Ballroom, Los Angeles, October 10, 1952

9 - Too Marvelous For Words

(Richard A. Whiting, Johnny Mercer)

"Too Marvelous for Words" was featured a few times by the Kenton Orchestra including this 1952 broadcast of the Bob Snydor Show. The original handwritten score is dated February 4, 1952.

Stan Kenton Orchestra:

Buddy Childers, Maynard Ferguson, Conte Candoli, Don Dennis, Ruben McFall (trumpets);

Bob Burgess, Frank Rosolino, Keith Moon, Bill Russo (trombones);

George Roberts (bass trombone);  Dick Meldonian, Vinnie Dean (alto saxes);

Lee Elliott, Bill Holman (tenor saxes); Bob Gioga (baritone sax);

Stan Kenton (piano); Sal Salvador (guitar) Don Bagley (bass) Stan Levey (drums).

Bob Snydor Show, Bristol, Connecticut, July 13, 1952

10 - All The Things You Are

(Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II)

"All the Things You Are" was featured regularly during the New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm period and was a feature for Buddy Childers. This recording comes from a Concert in Miniature broadcast from September of 1952. The original score is dated March 9, 1952.

Stan Kenton Orchestra:

Buddy Childers, Maynard Ferguson, Conte Candoli, Don Dennis, Ruben McFall (trumpets);

Bob Burgess, Frank Rosolino, Keith Moon, Bill Russo (trombones);

George Roberts (bass trombone); Lee Konitz, Vinnie Dean (alto saxes);

Bill Holman, Richie Kamuca (tenor saxes); Bob Gioga (baritone sax);

Stan Kenton (piano); Sal Salvador (guitar); Don Bagley (bass); Stan Levey (drums).

Concert in Miniature, Fort Sheridan, Illinois, September 2, 1952

11 - Dancing In The Dark

(Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz)

"Dancing in the Dark" wasn't played often but had stayed in the book for many years. It was one of the earliest arrangements Gerry wrote not long after his arrival in Los Angeles. The original score is dated January 19, 1952.

Stan Kenton Orchestra:

Jack Sheldon, Frank Higgins, Billy Catalano, Bob Ojeda, Bud Brisbois (trumpets);

Billy Smiley, Archie LeCoque, Kurt Larsen, Jim Amlotte, Bob Olson (trombones);

Steve Perlow, Bill Perkins, Lennie Niehaus, Bill Trujillo, Bill Robinson (reeds);

Stan Kenton (piano); Red Kelly (bass); Jerry McKenzie (drums).

Holiday Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, October 10, 1958

12 - Where Or When

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

"Where or When" is another dance arrangement that stayed in the book for a long time. The original score is dated January 19, 1952.

Stan Kenton Orchestra:

Frank Huggins, Bud Brisbois, Rolf Ericson, Joe Burnett, Roger Middleton (trumpets);

Archie LeCoque, Kent Larsen, Jimmy Knepper (trombones);

Jim Amlotte, Bill Smiley (bass trombones); Lennie Niehaus (alto sax);

Bill Trujillo, John Bonnie (tenor saxes); Billy Root, Sture Swenson (baritone saxes);

Stan Kenton (piano); Scott LaFaro (bass); Jerry McKenzie (drums).

County Fair Building, Ukiah, California, February 26, 1959

13 - Begin The Beguine

(Cole Porter)

The original score to "Begin the Beguine" is dated March 1952. Gerry never said much about his dance charts for Kenton other than joking he was given "dogs work." He did however make special note of Begin the Beguine since Artie Shaw was one of his early idols.

Stan Kenton Orchestra:

Bud Brisbois, Dalton Smith, Bill Chase, Danny Nolan, Rolf Ericson (trumpets);

Bob Fitzpatrick, Kent Larsen, Bill Smiley (trombones);

Jim Amlotte, Bob Knight (bass trombones); Lennie Niehaus (alto sax);

Bill Trujillo, Ronnie Rubin (tenor saxes); Jack Nimitz, Marvin Holladay (baritone saxes);

Stan Kenton (piano); Peter Chivily (bass); Jimmy Campbell (drums); Mike Pacheco (percussion).

Enlisted Mens Club, Barstow, California, January 30, 1960

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XIX ★ with Art Pepper (II)

Bob Andrews Presents

Art Pepper

Live At The Lighthouse '52

Ten days after the performance documented in the previous post, the music at the Lighthouse Cafe continued uninterrupted. Another Sunday afternoon, another crowded room, and once again the tape recorder of Bob Andrews quietly captured the sound of a scene that, at the time, few could have imagined would later acquire historical significance.

Recorded live in 1952, this performance preserves a young Art Pepper appearing as a guest soloist during the formative years of what would soon be identified worldwide as West Coast Jazz. The historical importance of these tapes lies not only in their rarity — open-reel live recordings of this kind were still highly unusual in the early 1950s — but also in the atmosphere they preserve: informal, spontaneous, and far removed from the controlled environment of the recording studio. What survives here is the genuine sound of the Lighthouse scene itself.

Much of that atmosphere survives thanks to Andrews, an amateur drummer, jazz enthusiast, and record shop owner who, during the early 1950s, began carrying a portable Pentron tape recorder from club to club across the Los Angeles area. Using little more than a single microphone and whatever connection or corner the venue allowed him, he documented performances at the Lighthouse, the Tradewinds, the Surf Club, and countless informal sessions that otherwise would have vanished completely. What may have seemed at the time like an almost quixotic obsession gradually became one of the most important private archives of early West Coast jazz.

Bob Andrews would later found Record Ville in the South Bay area and eventually establish Vantage Records, the label through which many of those recordings finally reached the public years later. Like Jerry Newman a decade earlier in New York, Andrews unintentionally became one of the great sonic archivists of a jazz movement while it was still unfolding in real time.

The repertoire presented here consists largely of standards, alongside two originals by pianist Frank Patchen, but the central attraction is unmistakably Pepper himself. His performance on “Over the Rainbow” — already emerging as one of the defining features of his repertoire — reveals the lyrical phrasing, rhythmic assurance, and emotional directness that would later establish him as one of the essential voices of modern jazz. Even at this early stage, his improvisations already possess the unmistakable fluidity and imagination of a fully formed musical personality.

More than a conventional live album, this recording functions as an unguarded document of a particular place and moment: the weekly musical life of Hermosa Beach at the precise moment when an entire jazz language was beginning to take shape.

Off note:

The audio quality is naturally limited by the portable equipment and live conditions of the period, yet recordings such as this remain invaluable for the vivid glimpse they offer into the real atmosphere of the early West Coast scene.

1 - Tickle Toe

(Lester Young)

2 - Jumpin' At The Woodside

(Count Basie)

3 - September Song

(Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson)

4 - Avalon

(Vincent Rose, Buddy DeSylva, Al Jolson)

5 - Over The Rainbow

(Harold Arlen, E. Y. Harburg)

6 - Keen And Peachy

(Frank Patchen)

7 - These Foolish Things

(Jack Strachey, Eric Maschwitz)

8 - Dickie's Dream

(Count Basie, Lester Young)

9 - Yesterdays

(Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach)

10 - Another Hair

(Frank Patchen)

11 - Indiana

(James F. Hanley, Ballard MacDonald)

Shorty Rogers (trumpet), Art Pepper (alto sax),

Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax), Milt Bernhart (trombone),

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

Recorded live at The Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, California, January 6, 1952

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XVIII ★ with Art Pepper (I)

Art Pepper & Shorty Rogers

Complete Lighthouse Sessions

Nothing better illustrates this post than Ted Gioia's book, "West Coast Jazz". 

In the chapter "From the Lighthouse" — where he recounts the history of the cafe — there's a section titled "The dropping-off station", where he mentions this recording, comparing it to the first in the series released by the Contemporary Coast Jazz label:

The Lighthouse, for all its eventual fame, was a challenging — and often exasperating — jazz venue. The long hours were legendary, the quarters cramped and incommodious, the audience frequently loud and disrespectful. The musicians responded, however, with a positive energy that was often surprising, given the inclement surroundings. Jimmy Giuffre, Shorty Rogers, Shelly Manne, and other Lighthouse regulars later gained renown for bringing chamber music restraint to jazz combo playing, but the early work documented in their live Lighthouse recordings shows no such cool and controlled neoclassicism. These were spirited blowing dates with no holds barred, as rambunctious and unpredictable as the turbulent surf waves outside the door. Even Giuffre, arguably the king of cool understatement (he later mastered the technique of constructing a whole solo from an extended, pitchless, breathy sound), often worked up an uncharacteristic sweat when playing on Pier Avenue.

The initial Lighthouse album on Contemporary captured precisely this informal spontaneity. From the riff-like swing of the opening number, Jimmy Giuffre's "Four Others", to the crowd-rousing finale, an extended jam on the same composer's "La Soncaille", the All-Stars take off on the musical material at hand with considerable abandon. This band was loaded with arrangers, but its charts were mostly bare bones and at times even nonexistent. Hampton Hawes's noteworthy work on "All the Things You Are" is a case in point: There is no apparent arrangement or elaborate game plan here, just a quartet blowing its way through one of the oldest standards in the book. Yet Les Koenig found the results memorable enough to give Hawes a contract with Contemporary.

An earlier private recording of a Lighthouse session featuring Shorty Rogers and Art Pepper (later released on the Xanadu label) reveals an even more free-wheeling ensemble. In fact, the music recorded here might seem to be completely at odds with the personnel. Supported by a rhythm section consisting of Rumsey, Patchen, and Manne, Pepper and Rogers led a veritable West Coast all-star band. But the music taken down by Bob Andrews's portable Pentron recorder is New York bebop plain and simple. Tearing through "Scrapple from the Apple", "Cherokee", "Tin Tin Deo", and other East Coast standards, the front line was driving hard — and clearly driving under the influence of Bird and Dizzy. Here again the Lighthouse setting roused the musicians to a higher level of intensity than was their wont. The change was not always for the better — sometimes the Lighthouse performances took on a ragged quality — but the music more often captured an infectious spark that many of these musicians rarely matched elsewhere. 

This 1951 club recording isn't going to excite audiophiles — the quality is iffy, having been accomplished with a hobbyist's portable recorder — but for serious fans of saxophonist Art Pepper and the West Coast jazz school, it's a rare treat. Both Pepper and trumpeter Shorty Rogers had only recently departed Stan Kenton's Orchestra when they found themselves gigging with the group that would eventually develop, sans Pepper, into the Lighthouse All Stars featuring drummer Shelly Manne, pianist Frank Patchen, and bassist Howard Rumsey. Although many of the tunes are standards such as "Robbins Nest", "Scrapple from the Apple", "Body and Soul" and "Cherokee", the light, airy sound that would come to typify the West Coast school is already in clear evidence. Pepper, whose prior recording history had been limited to big band sides, proves himself a confident master in the small group setting, and this performance is among his finest. Trumpeter Rogers, who would later earn a reputation as a superb arranger and composer, gives an indication of what's to come with his bluesy "Popo". *Fred Goodman*

Off note:

There are two versions of this recording. The one presented here is the more recent 2001 edition, although it also includes the artwork from the original Xanadu Records release.

It should also be noted that the title "Complete Lighthouse Sessions" is somewhat misleading, since in 1996 Vantage Record Company issued another concert by the same two musicians, recorded only ten days after the performance presented here.

But that will be the subject of the next post.

1 - Popo

(Shorty Rogers)

2 - What's New?

(Bob Haggart, Johnny Burke)

3 - Lullaby In Rhythm

(Clarence Profit, Edgar Sampson, Benny Goodman)

4 - All The Things You Are

(Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II)

5 - Robbins Nest

(Illinois Jacquet)

6 - Scrapple From The Apple

(Charlie Parker)

7 - Body And Soul

(Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour)

8 - Jive At Five

(Harry Edison)

9 - Tin Tin Deo

(Gil Fuller, Chano Pozo)

10 - Cherokee

(Ray Noble)

Shorty Rogers (trumpet), Art Pepper (alto sax),

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

Recorded live at The Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, California, December 27, 1951

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 III

Howard Rumsey

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars

Volume 1 

★ Sunday Jazz A La Lighthouse • Vol. 1 ★

This album is the first of a series of releases that are aimed to satisfy the many requests we have had for some SUNDAY JAZZ a la LIGHTHOUSE.

It was almost four years ago that John Levine decided to present Jazz in concert form — that is, for listening only — in the Southern California seashore club, The Lighthouse. Hermosa Beach is the ideal locale for such a year-around presentation, because although it is remote enough to be "goiung somewhere", it is situated in a fast-growing South Bay area so that more people live closer to it every year.

Sunday Jazz was a feature from the very inception of our concert policy and the popularity of the afternoon and evening concerts led into what is now our most popular feature of the week — a continuous concert from 2 p.m. to 2 a. m. every Sunday throughout the year.

The recorded efforts of our Lighthouse All-Stars as they pace themselves through this extraordinary concert with the many sounds of the room — the tinkling of glasses, the extemporaneous laughter, even the occasional ring of a cash register — go to make up this interesting forty-five minutes of Sunday Jazz designed to let our friends, all over the world, bring the music and, in fact, the Lighthouse itself, into own home.

HAPPY LISTENING! *Howard Rumsey (from the liner notes)*

One of the earliest sets issued under the name of the Lighthouse All-Stars — that hip assemblage of west coast players headed by bassist Howard Rumsey — hardly a household name on his own, but well-remembered for all the great work done at this famous club! The lineup is a who's who of key players on the west coast at the time — Shorty Rogers and Maynard Ferguson on trumpet, Jimmy Giuffre and Bob Cooper on tenor, Hampton Hawes on piano, Milt Bernhart on trombone, and Shelly Manne on drums — and some tracks are a bit longer than usual, offering up freer solo space than you're likely to get on other west coast dates — a key contribution of the All-Stars recording mode. *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

1 - Four Others

(Jimmy Giuffre)

2 - All The Things You Are

(Hammerstein, Kern)

3 - Creme de Menthe

(Jimmy Giuffre)

4 - Viva Zapata!

(Shorty Rogers)

5 - Bernie's Tune

(Leiber, Stoller, Miller)

6 - Solitaire

(Bill Russo)

7 - Morgan Davis

(Shorty Rogers)

8 - La Soncailli

(Jimmy Giuffre)

Maynard Ferguson, Shorty Rogers (trumpets);

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

Frank Patchen [#1, #3 to #6], Hampton Hawes [#2, #7, #8] (piano); Howard Rumsey (bass);

Shelly Manne (drums); Carlos Vidal (conga drums [#4]).

Recorded live at The Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, California, February 21, 1953

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection II

 The very first Lighthouse All-Stars recordings

Howard Rumsey (1917–2015) occupies a central place in the history of West Coast jazz—not primarily as a virtuoso bassist, but as a visionary organizer, bandleader, and catalyst for a community of musicians who helped define the modern jazz sound of Southern California in the 1950s. Before becoming synonymous with the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, Rumsey had worked with major bands led by Stan Kenton, Charlie Barnet, and Barney Bigard, experiences that grounded him firmly in the professional jazz world of the 1930s and 40s. Yet it was his work as an impresario and resident bandleader that would secure his lasting legacy.

In May 1949, Rumsey persuaded the owner of the Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach, California, to allow Sunday afternoon jam sessions. What began as informal gatherings soon evolved into one of the most important regular jazz venues in the United States. Musicians from the Los Angeles scene—along with visiting players—would perform extended sets that could stretch from late afternoon into the night, attracting beachgoers, dedicated jazz fans, and fellow musicians alike. These sessions became a focal point for what would soon be labeled “West Coast Jazz.”

Out of these weekly performances emerged a more defined ensemble known as the Lighthouse All-Stars. The earliest late-1940s formation included local players such as Teddy Edwards, Sonny Criss, Hampton Hawes, Frank Patchen, Bobby White, and Keith Williams, with Rumsey on bass. It is important to note, however, that no known commercial or publicly documented recordings exist of this original late-1940s lineup. Their significance lies in their live presence and in the groundwork they laid, rather than in any surviving discography.

Only in the early 1950s, once the group's personnel evolved to include figures such as Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre, and Shelly Manne, did the Lighthouse All-Stars begin recording commercially. Independent labels—including Skylark and the Lighthouse Record Company, and later Contemporary Records—issued recordings that carried the Lighthouse sound far beyond Hermosa Beach. These records helped codify an aesthetic often associated with West Coast jazz: arranged yet flexible, cool in tone but rhythmically vital, and marked by a strong sense of ensemble interplay.

Rumsey’s true achievement was the creation of a sustained musical environment. By maintaining a regular platform for experimentation and performance, he fostered a scene in which arrangers, improvisers, and composers could refine a distinctly West Coast approach to modern jazz. Even without recorded evidence of its earliest incarnation, the name Lighthouse All-Stars came to represent one of the foundational institutions of postwar American jazz, and Howard Rumsey remains its indispensable architect.

The story truly begins to crystallize once the band entered the studio. As we begin the Lighthouse All-Stars Collection, we turn to the earliest recordings of the Lighthouse All-Stars.

The Early Skylark and Tampa EPs: The Lighthouse All Stars, Maynard Ferguson, Charlie Shavers set brings together some of the earliest commercial recordings associated with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars, issued originally on the Skylark and Tampa labels in the early 1950s. Although Howard Rumsey is not credited as leader on the session documents, this material represents the first recordings of the Lighthouse All-Stars with Rumsey firmly at the musical core of the ensemble, at a moment when the group was just beginning to define its sound.

Cut at Capitol Records on March 26, 1952, the personnel on the key tracks includes Shorty Rogers (trumpet), Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax), Milt Bernhart (trombone), Frank Patchen (piano), Shelly Manne (drums) and Howard Rumsey on bass, with guests such as Vivien Garry on vocals. These sessions—released as a Skylark EP originally titled Jam Session 2 and later repackaged on Tampa LPs—offer a fascinating early glimpse of the Lighthouse ensemble just as it was coalescing into one of the defining groups of the West Coast jazz scene.

Shorty Rogers And The Lighthouse All Stars

Though often overshadowed by the better-known Contemporary Records albums that followed, this program is historically significant: it captures the Lighthouse All-Stars at the threshold of their commercial recording career, rooted in the post–jam-session culture Rumsey had nurtured at the Hermosa Beach club, and points toward the broader recognition the band would soon achieve.

These early recordings of the Lighthouse All-Stars are featured on the following CD:

Shorty Rogers And The Lighthouse All-Stars

Maynard Ferguson Octet

Charlie Shavers Octet

Early Skylark And Tampa EPs

The three recordings that make up this program were originally released on the Skylark and/or Tampa Records labels in the early to mid-1950s. We have included three EPs that are not necessarily related to each other in this program to complete the release of Skylark and early Tampa jazz recordings on VSOP RECORDS. Bob Scherman, a child prodigy who became a record producer and composer, created the Skylark and Tampa Records labels during the early 1950s. Skylark was the label that Bob Scherman used to release recordings between 1951 and 1955, when the label was collapsed into Tampa Records. Practically every Skylark jazz recording had been re-issued as a Tampa release by 1955. (There are several singles that we will add to upcoming releases, and albums by Bill Donati that include jazz material that will be digitally released in the future.)

Bob Scherman participated in and supervised all activities of Skylark and Tampa, but he had help. Much of the studio work was shared by Dick Taylor, who had worked with Bob Scherman on some of his earlier efforts connected with his publishing work. Bob had set up his publishing company, Webster Music, to provide demo services for songwriters, as well as to promote his own compositions. He brought in Dick Taylor to manage many of the demo recording sessions, and later to act as contractor for some of the Skylark sessions, and some of the early Tampa sessions, as well.

 

The first set of recordings on this album consists of recordings that were made on March 26, 1952 at Capitol Records. They are or at least appear to be the first recordings credited to the Lighthouse All Stars. Side 1 consists of "M.B.B." or "More Big Boy", and Side 2 consists of a medley which includes "You Know I'm In Love With You", "Whispering" and "I Get A Kick Out of You" performed by Vivien Garry. The first release of this material on Skylark Records (apart from single 78s) was an EP entitled "Jam Session 2" Skylark 12.   This same material was later re-released as Tampa LP 12 "Shorty Rogers and the Lighthouse All Stars", with a cover designed by Maurice Childs, (that is the cover used for this album.)

The second set of recordings on this album consists of a program that appeared on an EP originally entitled "Jam Session 1" released as Skylark SK11. Side 1 featured Paul Nero's "Cool Canary Blues" and Side 2 was devoted to a jam on "Sweet Georgia Brown". Both selections are fairly long, coming in at around 13 minutes and 40 seconds each and feature extended solos by each player. "Sweet Georgia Brown" was also released on Skylark EP100 as by a Lighthouse All Stars group with the same personnel. The actual recording date is not certain although it would appear contemporaneous with the "Jam Session 2" material, judging by the personnel and the Hot Canary-Cool Canary connection. The labels on the various releases of this material suggest that the original leader was violinist Paul Nero, whose actual name was Kurt Polniarof (not to be confused with saxophonist Klaus Doldinger who goes by the same name). Paul Nero was a very in-demand violinist for pop and jazz sessions, whose extensive work invites comparisons with the careers of Harry Bluestone and Felix Slatkin. He presented himself very much as a fiddler rather than a violinist and his playing is often compared to that of Eddie South or Stuff Smith. He composed a number of works based upon his original composition, "The Canary", including "The Hot Canary" by Stan Kenton featuring Maynard Ferguson on Capitol, Paul Weston on Capitol Records, Florian Zabach on Decca, Ella Fitzgerald with Sy Oliver on Decca and "The Cool Canary Blues" offered here. Portions of these live recordings were used to create the live portions of "M.B.B" and the Vivien Garry medley. The Maynard Ferguson "Jam Session 1" material is lengthy and was actually recorded live, in contrast to the "Jam Session 2" sides. While it is likely that originally the group was led by Paul Nero, most releases on Skylark credit it to Maynard Ferguson. He had recently recorded Paul Nero's "Hot Canary" with Stan Kenton for Capitol, and was very much identified with that recording. There are nice solos by Maynard Ferguson, Bob Cooper, Abe Most, Tony Rizzi and Paul Smith.

After the two "Jam Sessions 1" selections, we have included the original versions of "Big Boy" which were released as "Big Boy Part 1" and "Big Boy Part 2" on Skylark 538, both sides presented here as one track. As is evident, "M.B.B." is simply a combination of both parts 1 and 2 with additional live material added in to give the impression that the material was recorded live in a club. These are the essential components of every version of "M.B.B." and "Big Boy" released on Skylark and Tampa. It is interesting to note that there are many fans of this recording, especially among those who were alive and on the West Coast when this recording was first released. Today, there is still some question as to whether "Big Boy" and "M.B.B." were intended to be received as a tribute to the rhythm and blues honking saxophone style of playing that was enjoying popularity at the time or whether they were intended as parody. Opinions are divided, and each is welcome to form their own.

The final EP included on this release was originally released as Skylark 103 Charlie Shavers:"Jazz". The common link between all of these musicians is the post-war Tommy Dorsey band, in particular the period between September, 1946 and June, 1947 when all were sidemen in that aggregation and, at times, in the Clambake Seven. The material performed is also a bit earlier in style from the two other Skylark sessions featured on this album. All four selections are of average length for a 78 of that period, with no extended solos. Two of the selections are adaptations of popular classical works, one is a tin pan alley standard ("Three Little Words"), and one an original work devoted to musicians union head, James Petrillo. The selection devoted to James Petrillo, head of the musicians' union, also suggests that this was recorded during the late 1940's when his iron-fisted control of recorded music gave rise to the 1942 and 1948 recording bans. This material features clarinetist Abe Most, and he may have had something to do with both the Jam Session 1 material and these Charlie Shavers recordings being released on Skylark and Tampa, since his solos are showcased, at least on the Charlie Shavers' sides. Tony Rizzi is also on this recording, making him the only musician to perform on all three recordings presented here. *from the liner notes*

1 - M.B.B

(Giuffre, Rogers)

2 - Jam Session Medley

a) You Know I'm In Love With You

(Brandt)

b) Whispering

(Schoemberger)

c) I Get A Kick Out Of You

(Porter)

3 - Cool Canary Blues

(Paul Nero)

4 - Sweet Georgia Brown

(Berney,Pinkard)

5 - Big Boy, Part 1 & Part 2

(Giuffre, Rogers)

6 - Three Little Words

(Kalmar, Ruby)

7 - Pet-rill-o

(Shavers)

8 - Choppin' Up Chopin

(Chopin, Shavers)

9 - La Traviata

(Verdi, Shavers)

#1, #2, #5:

Shorty Rogers (trumpet), Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax), Milt Bernhart (trombone),

Frank Patchen (piano), Tony Rizzi (guitar [#2b]), Howard Rumsey (bass),

Shelly Manne (drums), Vivien Garry (vocals [#2]).

Recorded at Capitol Records, March 26, 1952

(Producer Bob Scherman created a "live" jazz club sound with his Skylark releases by adding applause and "cocktail lounge chatter" at the mixing stage.)

#3, #4:

Maynard Ferguson (trumpet), Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Abe Most (clarinet), Paul Nero (violin),

Paul Smith (piano), Tony Rizzi (guitar), Stan Fletcher (bass), Irv Cottler (drums).

Recorded possibly at The Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, California, 1952

#6 to #9:

Charlie Shavers (trumpet), Abe Most (clarinet), Sid Cooper (alto sax), Boomie Richman (tenor sax), John Potoker (piano), Tony Rizzi (guitar), Sandy "Sid" Bloch (bass), and Alvin Stoller (drums).

Recorded in New York City, possibly late 1945

Note: The print quality of the booklet accompanying this CD is very poor. 

For a more comfortable reading of the same text, go to: https://magnebit.xeran.com/store/page242.html

Five-Star Collection... Howard Rumsey (Lighthouse All-Stars Collection I)

Howard Rumsey

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars

Volume 3

In this long-playing set Contemporary presents the three basic groups of All-Stars which made The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach the center of West Coast Jazz and a Mecca for jazz enthusiasts the world over. The notes which follow were written for Contemporary's ten-inch long playing release (C-2506) containing the recording sessions of July 22, 1952 and October 20, 1953. The third session of August 2, 1955 has not been released previously.

The key men of the first major group, Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre and Shelly Manne, after two years at The Lighthouse, left in 1953 to form Shorty Roger's Giants. (In the fall of 1955 Shelly Manne left the Giants to form his own group). The key men of the second and third All-Stars, Bob Cooper, Bud Shank, and Claude Williamson, continued for three years (1953 through 1955) and were responsible for such highly successful experiments as the flute and oboe duets (Contemporary C-3520).(...)

It was at the Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach that modern jazz first became really popular on the West Coast. Yet when Howard Rumsey started his jazz concerts there in 1948, the smart money said he wouldn't last a week. Hermosa Beach is more than 20 miles away from Hollywood. Who would travel that far to listen to modern jazzmen who were unknown to the general public?

Rumsey's plans seemed all the more hopeless since modern jazz was having a hard time in much more accessible places than Hermosa Beach. In order to develop, jazz needs devoted, understanding listeners. The all-important contact between modern jazz and a wide, enthusiastic audience had yet to be established. There had been many previous attempts to launch the movement, and they had all been partial or complete failures. A few years before the Lighthouse sessions, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker had played their new music in a Hollywood night club. They had been heard by a handful of musicians, and practically nobody else. In succeeding years, modern jazz on the West Coast became increasingly cultist and sectarian, talented musicians were experimenting in the isolation of their little cliques, and it seemed the entire movement would vanish with the inevitable crumbling of these ivory towers.

It was at this point that Howard Rumsey began his concerts at the Lighthouse. The most remarkable thing about Howard was his conviction that modern jazz could also be popular jazz, and that this could be accomplished without concessions or compromises. His policy was to ignore the meaningless divisions between the various modern jazz groups, to bring together the finest available instrumentalists and writers, and to transform the Lighthouse into a workshop where their music could be heard by large audiences. Howard's tenacity and his immense gifts as an organizer overcame both the incredulity of the musicians and the apathy of the public. Starting slowly, he kept working at his idea until he succeeded in having great modern jazzmen on his bandstand, and enthusiastic crowds in the Lighthouse to listen to them.

The Lighthouse is in a constant state of musical activity and experimentation. There are always new works in progress, new arrangements being tried out, new ideas for solos. Every musician on the bandstand is vitally concerned with communicating his music to eager audiences. The bored jazzman who condescends to play down to his listeners, or the unhappy jazzman who complains about being misunderstood, are both fortunately absent. The excitement at the Lighthouse is so contagious that some of the members of the All-Stars who had never written music before began to study composition and have developed into first-rate composer-arrangers.

*Nesuhi Ertegun (from the liner notes)*

A particularly impressive demonstration of the modern jazz School of Southern California (Hermosa Beach division). It's a five-starrer because this time the generally inventive writing aids rather than constricts the blowing. As usual, the level of musicianship is consistently elevated.

Side one (July, 1952) has Rogers, Bernhart, Giuffre, Cooper, Patchen, Manne, Rumsey (and Carlos Vidal on Zapata). The even better second side (October, 1953) includes Cooper, Shank, Rumsey, Max Roach, altoist Herb Geller, pianist Claude Williamson, trumpeter Rolf Ericson, and Jack Costanzo on two. Ericson has never sounded better on records, Manne and Roach are wonderful, Vidal and Costanzo help greatly on the south-of-Los Angeles scenes.

The diversity of the sides is also stimulating — from the tribute to the Mexican revolutionary through Giuffre's tender Somewhere and the mildly ironic rhythm and blueser Big Girl. Two superior frameworks are Cooper's Jazz Inventionand Giuffre's arrangement of Love Letters. I wish those two particularly hadn't been restricted to the conventional time limits. Engineers Val Valentin and John Palladino should get a bonus after this. I'd like to know what mike setup and what kind of mikes were used. *Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, February 10, 1954 [5 stars])*

1 - Swing Shift

(Shorty Rogers)

2 - Out Of Somewhere

(Jimmy Giuffre)

3 - Mexican Passport

(Bob Cooper, Bud Shank)

4 - Big Girl

(Jimmy Giuffre)

5 - Viva Zapata! No. 1

(Shorty Rogers)

6 - Mambo Los Feliz

 (Shorty Rogers)

7 - The Song Is You

(Jerome Kern)

8 - Jazz Invention

(Bob Cooper)

9 - Snap The Whip

(Bob Cooper)

10 - Love Letters

(Young, Heyman)

11 - Witch Doctor No. 1

(Bob Cooper)

#1, #2, #4, #5:

Shorty Rogers (trumpet); Milt Bernhart (trombone);

Bob Cooper, Jimmy Giuffre (tenor saxes);

Frank Patchen (piano); Howard Rumsey (bass);

Shelly Manne (drums); Carlos Vidal (conga drums [#5]).

Recorded at Radio Recorders' Annex, Los Angeles, California, July 22, 1952

#6, #8, #10, #11:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Milt Bernhart (trombone [#6]),

Herb Geller (alto sax), Bud Shank (alto sax, baritone sax),

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

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums), Jack Costanzo (bongos [#1, #4]).

Recorded at Capitol Melrose Studios, Studio A, Los Angeles, California, October 20, 1953

#3, #7, #9:

Frank Rosolino (trombone); Bud Shank (flute, alto sax), Bob Cooper (oboe, tenor sax),

Claude Williamson (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

Recorded at Capitol Melrose Studios, Studio A, Los Angeles, California, August 2, 1955

⁂

Why the subtitle "Lighthouse All-Stars Collection"? 

Between 1952 and 1957, Howard Rumsey’s Lighthouse All-Stars produced the core of their most significant recorded output: a series of studio and live performances that not only documented the ongoing activity at the Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach, but also fixed on record one of the most active modern jazz scenes of the decade.

During those years the ensemble functioned less as a fixed band than as a platform organized by Howard Rumsey: a stable nucleus with constant rotation of personnel, a permanent residency, and a repertoire in continuous development. Musicians such as Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre, and Shelly Manne passed through its ranks, establishing the Lighthouse as one of the central points of modern jazz activity in California.

Most of the principal recordings of this period — largely made for Contemporary Records — coincide with the years in which critical discourse began solidifying labels such as "West Coast Jazz". Heard today, however, these sessions reveal a language fully embedded in the broader current of modern jazz, in constant dialogue with what was simultaneously taking place in New York.

For that reason, and given that between 1952 and 1957 several of the group’s central "opuses" were recorded — including the volume presented here — Outlet Jazz deliberately takes a slight detour.

Without abandoning the collection of five-star Down Beat recordings, a parallel thread is inaugurated here: Lighthouse All-Stars Collection.

The order of presentation will not strictly follow the original release chronology. This first installment corresponds to Vol. 3, selected circumstantially because of its place within the five-star series. In forthcoming entries, the earlier volumes — Vol. 1, Vol. 2 — as well as the subsequent ones will be addressed, with the aim of reconstructing the group’s discographic sequence in full.

This detour is not a rupture, but an expansion of perspective — a way of observing the Lighthouse phenomenon in its historical continuity rather than exclusively through the filter of a critical rating.

⁂