Tenor saxophonist
Stan Getz is heard in a series of exciting live performances at the Lighthouse Café on Pier Avenue just off the Strand in Hermosa Beach, CA, and at the Irvine Bowl on Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach. The Lighthouse recordings were made in February and May 1953; tracks 21-26 were taped at the Irvine on June 20, 1955. The exhilarating beachfront ambiance is palpable throughout this magnificent compilation of live West Coast jazz; the festive crowds loved these jam sessions, their enthusiasm fueled the band and will most likely infect the listener and change the dynamic wherever the recording is played back. If some of the reeds --
Getz,
Bob Cooper,
Jimmy Giuffre and
Bud Shank -- seem occasionally to be ever so slightly off mic, bear in mind that these are not perfectly balanced, professionally mixed recordings. Somebody was rolling tape in a club atmosphere thick with easy conversation and cigarette smoke. Yet this is no slipshod location air check; the overall sound is surprisingly consistent and the music is outstanding. There are cool passages by vibraphonist
Teddy Charles, and strong contributions from trumpeters
Shorty Rogers and
Maynard Ferguson as well as trombonists
Milt Bernhart and
Frank Rosolino. The rhythm section, invariably driven by bassist
Howard Rumsey with either
Shelly Manne or
Stan Levey behind the drums, sometimes features pianists
Russ Freeman or
Hampton Hawes. "La Soncailli" is a fabulous feature for
Manne and "Round About Midnight" spotlights guitarist
Barney Kessel.
Getz sounds divine on every tune, in any company, no matter what goes down. Great moments abound on this superb compilation; highlights include two extensions of the
Basie book: a nearly 12-minute jam on
Harry "Sweets" Edison's "Jive at Five" and a magnetically hip rendering of
Eddie Durham's "Topsy." Note also how "Love Me or Leave Me" magically mutates into
Billy Strayhorn's "Johnny Come Lately." ~ arwulf arwulf