All That Jazz! Celebrating the Lighthouse All-Stars and the legacy of Howard Rumsey
Chet Baker, left, sitting in with Howard Rumsey (right) and the Lighthouse All-Stars in 1949. Photo courtesy of the L.A. Jazz Institute Walking down Pier Avenue and stepping into the Lighthouse is quite different now than when Howard Rumsey showed up on May 29, 1949 to play his very first show. John Levine had purchased the club a year earlier and soon agreed to Rumsey’s replacing the rowdier element with an inviting atmosphere conducive to hearing modern, contemporary jazz. Throughout the 1950s and into the early ‘60s the Lighthouse was truly a beacon for West Coast jazz. Beginning today and running through Sunday, the Los Angeles Jazz Institute is presenting “Music for Lighthousekeeping: An All-Star Tribute to Howard Rumsey.” By way of 27 concerts, rare films and special events, each offering not only celebrates Rumsey’s legacy, it also pays tribute to the music and to the musicians who emerged from this historically important venue. For some attendees, it’s a nostalgic look back at a vanished era. “People are coming from all over the world,” says Ken Poston, founder and director of the L.A. Jazz Institute. “We tried to put together an event that would pay tribute to Howard by…
Read this story on easyreadernews.com