By Whitney Youngs (Updated: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 4:28 PM PDT)
Some jazz enthusiasts can't think of West Coast jazz without conjuring up an image of the famed Lighthouse Caf/ in downtown Hermosa Beach.
The tiny brick restaurant that stands on the pier plaza has become the subject of a new documentary by Santa Cruz resident Ken Koenig.
Owned and operated by John Levine with its concerts headed by house bandleader Howard Rumsey and his Lighthouse All-Stars, the club put Hermosa Beach on the map as a Mecca for West Coast jazz during the 1950s and 1960s. The Lighthouse Caf/ became one of the most famous hot spots for jazz and a style or movement known as Cool Jazz. Rumsey was also the band's bass player and hosted jam sessions that would usually span 12 hours.
The issue of downtown noise was as much a concern back in the 1950s as it is today. Residents urged the then-Hermosa Beach City Council to pass a law banning the hours of the Lighthouse jam sessions that began at 2 p.m. and lasted until 2 a.m. However, Rumsey and his All-Stars ultimately prevailed.
The club also became a venue for live recordings and many popular players such as Chet Baker, Jerry Mulligan, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis would travel to the seaside enclave and perform with the band. Famous disc jockey "Sleepy" Stein broadcast live concerts on the station that was once called KLON and is now known as KJAZZ.
Cool jazz seemed to be a combination of be-bop and swing in which a song's dissonance was smoothed out and its tones softened. There was an emphasis on the importance of arrangements and the rhythm section's accents tended to be less jarring. Some of its key musicians were Mulligan, Baker, Bud Shank, Rumsey and Shorty Rogers.
The All-Stars' history in terms of its drummers was of rich importance that began with legend Shelly Manne followed with a six-month stint from Max Roach and ended with Stan Levy.
Koenig is a jazz aficionado who expressed an interest in the music during the 1950s as a teenager and would listen to broadcasts over the radio from his home in Tucson, Ariz., where he grew up. Koenig would hear late night radio on Los Angeles-based stations spinning songs recorded at the Lighthouse Caf/ by the Lighthouse All-Stars. When Koenig was about 16 or 17, he drove to Hermosa Beach and visited the famed caf/ for the first and only time during its heyday.
Koenig has been a practicing psychiatrist and psychoanalyst for the past 33 years, and decided several years ago that he wanted to get involved in documentary work. Koenig took a class at a local community college in digital production and for his class project showed what is now part of the documentary "Jazz on the West Coast: The Lighthouse."
The Beach Reporter this week talked with Koenig about the film that will premiere in town this Friday at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse.
The Beach Reporter: The film makes mention that the kind of movement happening at the Lighthouse Caf/ was and has been in a sense ignored by critics. Why do you think this is?
Koenig: Well, you could say that my documentary was inspired by the Ken Burns jazz series. It was a 10-part series and there was very little on West Coast jazz. That was one of the things that made me decide to tell the story of jazz on the West Coast during the 1950s and 1960s. I think one of the reasons of why it was ignored was that many of the major jazz critics were on the East Coast and heard mostly that music. Secondly, there was a kind of feeling that the music coming out of the West Coast was lightweight compared to the hard bop and the innovations happening in places like New York. Most jazz fans were listening to that music as well. Jazz on the West Coast had a particular sound and a group of musicians that were of extremely high quality. Unfortunately, they went unrecognized.
It's interesting in that the kind of movement that did occur in Hermosa Beach was actually quite unique because it did happen in a very tiny all-white beach town as opposed to the big, racially diverse cities of New York, Chicago or St. Louis.
Well, you'd think it would be unique but when you think about it a lot of the beach cities had bands and were places that young people were attracted to. Beach communities always had ballrooms and a lot of young people would come out to the beach to listen. So, in a way it's not surprising but on the other hand, when you think about it, it is kind of surprising that jazz on the West Coast found its way to little Hermosa Beach.
There is also the concept of West Coast vs. East Coast, which is a theme that is seen more in hip-hop than in jazz and seems like a phenomena partially created by the media. It seems like it was never about bebop vs. something else but rather just differences in the approaches of the art form and the various styles of the players.
Yes, it was created to kind of build an interest. On the other hand, you talk to the musicians and you find that many if not most of them who gained fame in the West Coast jazz movement were from the East Coast. There are exceptions of course, like Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond, and they were not exactly part of the West Coast phenomenon that was happening at the Lighthouse and in Los Angeles, but on the other hand, they were a band from the West Coast.
It also seems as though Rumsey, who was all about making good music, and Levine, who was interested in running a successful business, seemed to try and appease the police, city and its residents as much as possible. They were outsiders trying to balance appeasing a town while forging ahead in the area of music for Rumsey and monetary success for Levine.
Yes, I agree and you have to place the film in the context of its era and many cities across the country. Many little beach towns were in fact primarily made up of white, working-class people who had very little contact with black people. There was a dividing line in Los Angeles. So, when black musicians would come down to Hermosa Beach, they found that they were outsiders. In addition, musicians, particularly jazz musicians at that time, had the reputation of being drug addicts, alcoholics, so there was also that prejudice that had to be dealt with. So Howard and John really did a lot of public relations events that would bring the public into the club to make it not so mysterious and the musicians not so strange, and that broke down some of the barriers at the time.
The documentary definitely shows how music transcends racial barriers and the Lighthouse seemed like a small little enclave of racial diversity amid a town not so accepting of that kind of integration.
Yes, the musicians themselves were not so concerned about color because they were interested in playing with the best there was. When you're a jazz musician and you're playing with other musicians who are great, it brings your level of playing up. You want to play with the best and many of the musicians who played jazz were black. As far as I can tell, the problem wasn't at all with the musicians; the problems were the times, atmosphere and subsequently, as the film shows, it was overcome to some degree.
How would you define cool jazz?
I prefer to call it jazz on the West Coast during the 1950s and 1960s. I think it was characterized by a certain kind of sound that was the result of the particular musicians who were playing it. The most popular bands that represented the West Coast sound was the Jerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker, Shorty Rogers and his Giants, the Bud Shank Quartet and Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars. They were made up of musicians who had a certain style of playing. It was very cool sounding, hence the name the Cool School. I think it appealed to many people because of that coolness to the sound.
In putting this film together, digging into the history of the Lighthouse, are you surprised the building is not a historical landmark?
I got back involved in the Lighthouse when it started to have reunion shows with the older musicians and even at that time it was very apparent that the Lighthouse itself had gone unrecognized for what it was. It was the real center for jazz on the West Coast. There were many other clubs, but the Lighthouse had the name recognition and people from all over the world know it. Some jazz enthusiasts can't think of West Coast jazz without conjuring up an image of the famed Lighthouse Caf/ in downtown Hermosa Beach.
The tiny brick restaurant that stands on the pier plaza has become the subject of a new documentary by Santa Cruz resident Ken Koenig.
Owned and operated by John Levine with its concerts headed by house bandleader Howard Rumsey and his Lighthouse All-Stars, the club put Hermosa Beach on the map as a Mecca for West Coast jazz during the 1950s and 1960s. The Lighthouse Caf/ became one of the most famous hot spots for jazz and a style or movement known as Cool Jazz. Rumsey was also the band's bass player and hosted jam sessions that would usually span 12 hours.
The issue of downtown noise was as much a concern back in the 1950s as it is today. Residents urged the then-Hermosa Beach City Council to pass a law banning the hours of the Lighthouse jam sessions that began at 2 p.m. and lasted until 2 a.m. However, Rumsey and his All-Stars ultimately prevailed.
The club also became a venue for live recordings and many popular players such as Chet Baker, Jerry Mulligan, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis would travel to the seaside enclave and perform with the band. Famous disc jockey "Sleepy" Stein broadcast live concerts on the station that was once called KLON and is now known as KJAZZ.
Cool jazz seemed to be a combination of be-bop and swing in which a song's dissonance was smoothed out and its tones softened. There was an emphasis on the importance of arrangements and the rhythm section's accents tended to be less jarring. Some of its key musicians were Mulligan, Baker, Bud Shank, Rumsey and Shorty Rogers.
The All-Stars' history in terms of its drummers was of rich importance that began with legend Shelly Manne followed with a six-month stint from Max Roach and ended with Stan Levy.
Koenig is a jazz aficionado who expressed an interest in the music during the 1950s as a teenager and would listen to broadcasts over the radio from his home in Tucson, Ariz., where he grew up. Koenig would hear late night radio on Los Angeles-based stations spinning songs recorded at the Lighthouse Caf/ by the Lighthouse All-Stars. When Koenig was about 16 or 17, he drove to Hermosa Beach and visited the famed caf/ for the first and only time during its heyday.
Koenig has been a practicing psychiatrist and psychoanalyst for the past 33 years, and decided several years ago that he wanted to get involved in documentary work. Koenig took a class at a local community college in digital production and for his class project showed what is now part of the documentary "Jazz on the West Coast: The Lighthouse."
The Beach Reporter this week talked with Koenig about the film that will premiere in town this Friday at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse.
The Beach Reporter: The film makes mention that the kind of movement happening at the Lighthouse Caf/ was and has been in a sense ignored by critics. Why do you think this is?
Koenig: Well, you could say that my documentary was inspired by the Ken Burns jazz series. It was a 10-part series and there was very little on West Coast jazz. That was one of the things that made me decide to tell the story of jazz on the West Coast during the 1950s and 1960s. I think one of the reasons of why it was ignored was that many of the major jazz critics were on the East Coast and heard mostly that music. Secondly, there was a kind of feeling that the music coming out of the West Coast was lightweight compared to the hard bop and the innovations happening in places like New York. Most jazz fans were listening to that music as well. Jazz on the West Coast had a particular sound and a group of musicians that were of extremely high quality. Unfortunately, they went unrecognized. It's interesting in that the kind of movement that did occur in Hermosa Beach was actually quite unique because it did happen in a very tiny all-white beach town as opposed to the big, racially diverse cities of New York, Chicago or St. Louis.
Well, you'd think it would be unique but when you think about it a lot of the beach cities had bands and were places that young people were attracted to. Beach communities always had ballrooms and a lot of young people would come out to the beach to listen. So, in a way it's not surprising but on the other hand, when you think about it, it is kind of surprising that jazz on the West Coast found its way to little Hermosa Beach.
There is also the concept of West Coast vs. East Coast, which is a theme that is seen more in hip-hop than in jazz and seems like a phenomena partially created by the media. It seems like it was never about bebop vs. something else but rather just differences in the approaches of the art form and the various styles of the players.
Yes, it was created to kind of build an interest. On the other hand, you talk to the musicians and you find that many if not most of them who gained fame in the West Coast jazz movement were from the East Coast. There are exceptions of course, like Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond, and they were not exactly part of the West Coast phenomenon that was happening at the Lighthouse and in Los Angeles, but on the other hand, they were a band from the West Coast.
It also seems as though Rumsey, who was all about making good music, and Levine, who was interested in running a successful business, seemed to try and appease the police, city and its residents as much as possible. They were outsiders trying to balance appeasing a town while forging ahead in the area of music for Rumsey and monetary success for Levine.
Yes, I agree and you have to place the film in the context of its era and many cities across the country. Many little beach towns were in fact primarily made up of white, working-class people who had very little contact with black people. There was a dividing line in Los Angeles. So, when black musicians would come down to Hermosa Beach, they found that they were outsiders. In addition, musicians, particularly jazz musicians at that time, had the reputation of being drug addicts, alcoholics, so there was also that prejudice that had to be dealt with. So Howard and John really did a lot of public relations events that would bring the public into the club to make it not so mysterious and the musicians not so strange, and that broke down some of the barriers at the time.
The documentary definitely shows how music transcends racial barriers and the Lighthouse seemed like a small little enclave of racial diversity amid a town not so accepting of that kind of integration.
Yes, the musicians themselves were not so concerned about color because they were interested in playing with the best there was. When you're a jazz musician and you're playing with other musicians who are great, it brings your level of playing up. You want to play with the best and many of the musicians who played jazz were black. As far as I can tell, the problem wasn't at all with the musicians; the problems were the times, atmosphere and subsequently, as the film shows, it was overcome to some degree.
How would you define cool jazz?
I prefer to call it jazz on the West Coast during the 1950s and 1960s. I think it was characterized by a certain kind of sound that was the result of the particular musicians who were playing it. The most popular bands that represented the West Coast sound was the Jerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker, Shorty Rogers and his Giants, the Bud Shank Quartet and Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars. They were made up of musicians who had a certain style of playing. It was very cool sounding, hence the name the Cool School. I think it appealed to many people because of that coolness to the sound.
In putting this film together, digging into the history of the Lighthouse, are you surprised the building is not a historical landmark?
I got back involved in the Lighthouse when it started to have reunion shows with the older musicians and even at that time it was very apparent that the Lighthouse itself had gone unrecognized for what it was. It was the real center for jazz on the West Coast. There were many other clubs, but the Lighthouse had the name recognition and people from all over the world know it.
from Archives: Hermosa Beach News 
