To the Lighthouse!
Photos from the classic jazz venue on view in Old Torrance
The Lighthouse on Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach has been showcasing live jazz since 1949, although it has largely given way to rock and roll in recent years. But from the 1950s to the mid-1970s it was a classic venue and people say it was the home and birthplace of West Coast jazz. Largely through the efforts of the late Ozzie Cadena, and in recent years by Gloria Cadena, one can usually hear jazz there three times a week.
Photographer and gallery owner Mark Sonners wanted to pay tribute to the Lighthouse, and he’s doing so with “Jazz at the Lighthouse,” an exhibition of images taken by Chuck Koton, David Fairchild, and Sonners himself. The big shebang is this Saturday.
“I’ve been attending regularly,” Sonners says, “but what I’ve found, talking to people who used to attend back in the day, is that they had no idea that great jazz artists are being showcased at the Lighthouse every week. Our hope, through this exhibit, is that people will rediscover this great music venue.
“We’re showing both vintage Lighthouse-related images and an ample selection of currently performing artists who have been captured on film. Most of the art is in black and white, shot on film and (transferred) to silver gelatin prints. Some of the older images were not taken at the Lighthouse, but all of the artists portrayed have performed there at some point in their careers. Sample audio tracks from the musicians will be heard throughout the gallery.”
Photographs of the artists include Sonny Rollins, Benny Golson, Slide Hampton, David “Fathead” Newman, Bobby Hutcherson, Kenny Burrell, McCoy Tyner, and more.
Gallery Exposure is located at 1439 Marcellina Ave., in Old Torrance. The opening reception for Jazz at the Lighthouse is Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. Through Jan. 1. Call (310) 770-6402 or email msonners@industryworks.com. ER
