Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XXVI ★ Richie Kamuca

Richie Kamuca

West Coast to East Coast

Live Recordings 1957-1966

Back in action, Outlet kicks off the second half of the year by resuming its series dedicated to Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars and the live recordings made at the legendary Lighthouse club.

This time, the focus is on saxophonist Richie Kamuca and the quintet he co-led with trumpeter Conte Candoli in 1957. These recordings were previously released by the Xanadu label under the title Bebop Revisited, Volume 5 in 1985.

For this post, we've chosen the recent release from the Barcelona-based label Fresh Sound Records, featuring notes by its owner, Jordi Pujol:

Richie Kamuca (1930–1977) was one of the finest tenor saxophonists of his generation, though never granted the full recognition his artistry deserved. Rising to prominence with Stan Kenton and Woody Herman in the early 1950s, he settled in Los Angeles in 1956 and soon became a leading voice on the West Coast scene, recording and performing with Chet Baker, Shelly Manne, Bill Perkins, Conte Candoli, and many others. Equally at home in big bands, studios, and small groups, Kamuca blended the cool lyricism of Lester Young with the fluent drive of Stan Getz and Zoot Sims, ultimately forging a highly personal style.

This collection brings together live performances from the Lighthouse in 1957, from the celebrated Stars of Jazz television show of that same year, and from his New York period in inspired Half Note sessions with the Roy Eldridge Quintet in 1965–66. Warm-toned, inventive, and deeply melodic, Kamuca is heard here at full maturity: an unjustly overlooked master of the tenor saxophone.

After arriving in Los Angeles in the summer of 1956, Richie Kamuca joined Howard Rumsey's All-Stars at the famed Lighthouse club in Hermosa Beach. He spent a month there replacing Bob Cooper, who was vacationing in Hawaii with June Christy at the time.

He soon established a strong association with the West Coast jazz scene, receiving calls from record producers and fellow musicians alike to appear as a sideman on numerous sessions led by artists such as Chet Baker, Johnny Richards, Marty Paich, Bill Perkins, Stan Levey, Gus Mancuso, Mel Lewis, and Bill Holman. He also spent a brief period with the Med Flory–Al Porcino band, rejoined Stan Kenton for the orchestra's 1956 summer European tour, and later joined Maynard Ferguson after Kenton disbanded following a series of Bay Area engagements in November. Ferguson's saxophone section featured Herb Geller on alto, Kamuca and Nino Tempo on tenors, and Willie Maiden on baritone.

In April 1957, Kamuca returned to the Lighthouse to perform with the house band, which included Conte Candoli on trumpet, Dick Shreve on piano, Stan Levey on drums, and Red Mitchell on bass, replacing Howard Rumsey. Mitchell, who had originally played piano, switched to bass while working with Chubby Jackson in 1949. By then he had earned a formidable reputation as a member of pianist Hampton Hawes's outstanding trio, which also included Kenny Burrell on guitar. Earlier, Mitchell had worked with singer Jackie Paris and guitarist Mundell Lowe, and in 1956 he released his first album as a leader.

During the Lighthouse session that opens this CD, the group stretched out on two standout performances, "Allen's Alley" (also known as "Wee"), by Denzil Best, and Candoli's own "Counting", both of which showcased the band's remarkable cohesion and inventiveness. Kamuca displayed a strong Zoot Sims influence, moving confidently and fluently through the changes with his characteristically relaxed tone, while Candoli matched him with assured solos full of wit and imagination, including a quotation from "The Jeep Is Jumpin'". Shreve and Kamuca supplied effective supporting riffs, and Shreve contributed tasteful, economical solos in a Basie-like manner. Red Mitchell proved indispensable throughout, his rock-solid walking bass lines constantly drawing the ear, and he also delivered an outstanding solo that confirmed his place in the lineage of great bassists such as Jimmy Blanton, Oscar Pettiford, and Ray Brown.

The atmosphere remained relaxed yet highly energized, particularly on "Counting", a blues that allowed Kamuca to unfold one of his most fluent statements while Candoli's phrasing reflected his roots in the Dizzy Gillespie tradition. Both performances also highlighted the band's love of rhythmic exchanges, with Kamuca, Candoli, and Levey trading eights, fours, and even altered subdivisions, demonstrating both technical command and a playful sense of swing. These extended performances capture a group thoroughly enjoying itself while operating at a very high musical level. *Jordi Pujol (from the liner notes)*

1 - Allen's Alley

(Denzil Best)

2 - Counting

(Conte Candoli)

3 - Too Close For Comfort

(Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener, George David Weiss)

4 - What's New

(Bob Haggart, Johnny Burke)

5 - Just Friends

(John Klenner, Sam M. Lewis)

6 - Sweet Sue

(Will J. Harris, Victor Young)

7 - Comin' Home Baby

(Herbie Mann)

8 - Stompin' At The Savoy

(Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, Edgar Sampson)

9 - Hackensack

(Thelonious Monk)

10 - Take The "A" Train

(Billy Strayhorn)

11 - In A Mellotone

(Duke Ellington)

#1 and #2

The Conte Candoli~Richie Kamuca Quintet:

Conte Candoli (trumpet), Richie Kamuca (tenor sax),

Dick Shreve (piano), Red Mitchell (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

Recorded live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, California, April 17, 1957

#3 #4, #5

The Richie Kamuca~Leroy Vinnegar Quintet:

Richie Kamuca (tenor sax), Carl Perkins (piano),

Leroy Vinnegar (bass), Tony Bazley (drums).

Recorded at "Stars of Jazz" TV show,

ABC Studios, Los Angeles, California, October 21, 1957

#6 to #11

Roy Eldridge~Richie Kamuca Quintet:

Roy Eldridge (trumpet); Richie Kamuca (tenor sax); Dick Katz (piano);

Tommy Potter [#10], Don Moore [#11] (basses); Eddie Locke (drums).

Recorded live at the Half Note, New York City,

August 20, 1965 (#6 to #9) and March, 25, 1966 (#10, #11)

Five-Star Collection... Herb Ellis

Herb Ellis 

Nothing But The Blues

For the past few years, there has been, among the young moderns, a renewal of reverence for the blues. For the insecure and the confidence men who tried to bore into the in-group, the blues seemed to take on the guise of a new approach to Zen Buddhism as interpreted by Jack Kerouac. They accordingly used the word "funky" as a shibboleth, but their hard-breathing gave them away; because they played the blues like Sloan Wilson writes fiction.

The point is that the blues can’t be forced. It comes naturally out of a Horace Silver or Thelonious Monk or Sonny Rollins or Barney Kessel or Herb Ellis, or it doesn't come out at all. Herb has it; there were times during ensemble lessons at The School of Jazz in the Berkshires in the summer of 1957 when Herb (the faculty played alongside the students) would play something so down home, so earthily visceral that everybody would fall out, with Dizzy Gillespie usually roaring the loudest.

(...)

And this blues-bursting date is, I feel, Ellis' best album yet and one of the most directly fulfilling sessions of the year. Roy Eldridge feels that the context of the record brought about Stan Getz's "playing the greatest I've heard him. He comes from the old school too, you know, and he proved it on that date. Most of the younger cats can't get with but one thing; Getz can fit into something like this too. Like Royal Garden and Tin Roof. He fitted there". In fact, in this session, everybody fit, and if you want to know what all this talk about the blues means, this is one place you won't get a bum steer into the semantics of hipster theosophy. *Nat Hentoff (from the liner notes)*

Gather 'round, children, and listen to the message of the blues. The whole story is right here in eight, eloquent preachments by as fine a quintet of wailers as can be assembled.

There is so much strong, red meat here that to attempt to detail its high spots would take up more space than we've available. But some of the more memorable moments include Herb's bongo-like obligato to Roy's open horn on the galloping Big Red's; the sweetly lyrical Getz tenor on Tin Roof, accorded unusual, gentle treatment; an amazingly easy and relaxed Soft Winds, and the muted trumpet in unison with single string guitar in the first chorus of Royal.

Herb seems everywhere at once, comping tastefully, riffing chords and single string behind the other soloists; pungently interjecting chorded comments, and, of course, discoursing lengthily on blues-matter in general in all his solos.

Luckily it was a good day for Stan and Roy, too. And, thanks to Ellis' alternating role, a piano is never once missed in the rhythm section. Brown and Levey take care of business in basic, no-nonsense fashion. One of the very best jazz albums this year. Don't miss it.

*John A. Tynan (Down Beat, October 16, 1958 [5 stars])*

1 - Pap's Blues

(Ray Brown)

2 - Big Red's Boogie Woogie

(Herb Ellis)

3 - Tin Roof Blues

(George Brunies, Paul Mares, Ben Pollack, Leon Roppolo, Mel Stitzel, Walter Melrose)

4 - Soft Winds

(Benny Goodman)

5 - Royal Garden Blues

(Spencer Williams, Clarence Williams)

6 - Patti Cake

(Herb Ellis)

7 - Blues For Janet

(Herb Ellis, Ray Brown)

8 - Blues For Junior

(Ray Brown)

Herb Ellis (guitar), Roy Eldridge (trumpet),

Stan Getz (tenor sax), Ray Brown (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, October 11, 1957

Five-Star Collection... Lester Young

Lester Young

The Jazz Giants '56

Imitation, as a wise man once put it, is never competition. Accordingly, imitation with neither understanding nor technique can bring woeful results to the young musician. To put the theory to test, no other saxophonist has had quite so strong an influence on modern-day tenor saxophonists than Lester Young, otherwise known as the "President". For many saxophonists, however, the influence has not necessarily been a good one, simply because the limitations have been merely surface.

To play a saxophone in the Lester Young manner requires — well, it requires a Lester Young, which is to say an artist with his roots immersed deeply in the mainstream of jazz. Or that failing, a musician with at least a feeling for jazz' muscular, swinging tradition. An error committed so frequently as to become commonplace finds the imitator concerned more with sound than substance.

The Lester Young sound is a very special thing, certainly, and with it is associated a kind of languor, a sophistication that often belies its basic blues foundation. But the guts of the blues — and its purposeful vigor — is also a vital part of the Young style. And without it, without this strength that is suggested rather than expressed boldly, the would-be Lester Youngs create little more than hollow, superficial and often quite banal mimicry.

The imitators could learn considerable from this album, entitled with justification The Jazz Giants '56. For in this one, Lester illustrates more graphically than ever just where the "Lester Young school" has been errant. By no means is this, as they say in the television commercials, a "new" Lester Young, but it is a Lester Young with a stronger approach than has been his very recent custom. The tone remains, lean and cool (in the best sense), but the vigor is unmistakable and the jazz ideas are, as always, fresh and imaginative. *(from the liner notes)*

The Jazz Giants '56 comprise Lester Young, Roy Eldridge, Teddy Wilson, Vic Dickenson, Jo Jones, Freddie Green, and Gene Ramey, and a better-knit assemblage would indeed be hard to conceive. As the notes point out, this is the first time Pres and Roy have recorded together, and for some 20 years, someone has been goofing.

This is one of the records of this or any other year, and it is difficult to imagine a group playing much better than this one gets on You Can Depend on Me. All the good qualities which we usually ascribe to jazz — vitality, swing, ingenuity, rhythmic variety, and impeccable improvisation — are present here. Rest of the tracks are not far below this remarkable level, and it is really unfair to pout out high spots, although the unvarying consistency of Roy and Pres should be mentioned. Especially note Young's opening statement on This Year's Kisses — it contains all the loveliness and feeling for music one could wish. Suffice it to say that this collection belong in any and every library.

The notes err, by the way in stating that Pres and Dickenson never have recorded together before — they appeared on some Philo sides under Pres' leadership a decade ago.

*Jack Tracy (Down Beat, May 30, 1956 [5 stars])*

1 - I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan

(Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz)

2 - I Didn't Know What Time It Was

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

3 - Gigantic Blues

(Lester Young)

4 - This Year's Kisses

(Irving Berlin)

5 - You Can Depend On Me

(Charles Carpenter, Louis Dunlap, Earl Hines)

Lester Young (tenor sax), Roy Eldridge (trumpet), Vic Dickenson (trombone),

Teddy Wilson (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Gene Ramey (bass), Jo Jones (drums).

Recorded at Fine Sound, New York City, January 12, 1956

Roy Eldridge • Zoot Sims - Roy And Zoot

Roy and Zoot, two of the foremost names in the field of jazz, are featured on this new Discovery International Series LP. Both are too well known to require any biographical material. Their records of musical accomplishments cover a wide field of jazz.  

One sign of Roy's outstanding talent is his ability to go along with the many changes which are constantly taking place in the world of music. His horn has been heard playing many styles of jazz ranging from the beginning of the swing era right up to the present age of progressive sounds. His versatility is the basis for some of the best jazz releases in the past years.

Zoot, on the other hand, is a comparative newcomer to the field of jazz and confines his musical talents strictly to progressive sounds. Whether working in a trio or featured in Stan Kenton's band, the unmistakable sounds of Zoot's horn is always predominant. Like many other names in the progressive jazz field, Zoot did some of his early playing at the Club Downbeat in New York and was featured with such names as Chuck Wayne, Billy Taylor, Mary Lou Williams and many others. His rapid rise to prominence is the best guide to his ability.

Roy and Zoot met in Paris one Spring and joined up in various sessions with some of the best American and European musicians who were there at the time. These sides are some of the best that were cut and feature many of these men. (Liner notes)

Side 1

1 - King David

(Roy Eldridge)

2 - Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams

(Harris, Kohler, Moll )

3 - The Man I Love

(G. & I. Gershwin)

4 - Easter Parade

(Irving Berlin)

Side 2

5 - Wild Driver

(Roy Eldridge)

6 - Undecided

(Shavers)

7 - The Heat's On

(Roy Eldridge)

8 - Goliath Bounce

(Roy Eldridge)

#1, #3, #6:

Roy Eldridge (trumpet), Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Dick Hyman (piano), Pierre Michelot (bass), Ed Shaughnessy (drums).

#2:

Roy Eldridge (trumpet), Dick Hyman (piano), Pierre Michelot (bass), Ed Shaughnessy (drums).

#4, #5, #8:

Roy Eldridge (trumpet), Jerry Wiggins (piano), Pierre Michelot (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums).

#7:

Roy Eldridge (trumpet), Don Byas (tenor sax), Claude Bolling (piano), Guy DeFatto (bass), Armand Moletti (drums).

Recorded in Paris, June 9 (#1, #2, #3, #6), June 14 (#4, #5, #8) 1950 and March 28 (#7) 1951.