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)
