Howard Rumsey
Howard Rumsey (born November 7, 1917 in Brawley , California - † July 15, 2015 in Newport Beach , California) was an American jazz bassist and band leader of the Lighthouse All Stars .
Live and act
Howard Rumsey did not excel as an extraordinary double bass player, but was an active organizer, manager and last but not least band leader of the Howard Rumsey's All Stars , which were to play a key role in the development of West Coast or cool jazz .
Rumsey was trained in bass playing at Los Angeles City College; In 1941 he played with Stan Kenton , then with Charlie Barnet and Barney Bigard , until he founded the Lighthouse All Stars . The band played regularly from 1952 onwards at the Lighthouse Cafe , 30 Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach . The changing members of the combo included Richie Kamuca , Rolf Ericson , Bud Shank , Bob Cooper , Shorty Rogers , Jimmy Giuffre , Hampton Hawes , Shelly Manne , Herb Geller , Stan Levey , Max Roach , Chet Baker , Russ Freeman , Sonny Clark , Conte Candoli , Pepper Adams , Barney Kessel , Frank Rosolino and many other musicians from the West Coast scene of that time. Her first concerts at the Lighthouse Club in 1952/53 had a strong jam session character; the live atmosphere is impressively captured with all the typical background noises. The last album of the Lighthouse All Stars was made in October 1957 (Jazz Rolls Royce) , with Cooper, Rosolino, Stu Williamson , Victor Feldman , Stan Levey and Rumsey.
In the period after dissolution of the Lighthouse All Stars Howard Rumsey organized the Concerts At The Sea series in Redondo Beach (CA) and created its own Lighthouse - record label . There he produced Art Blakey , Ramsey Lewis and the Jazz Crusaders, among others . Most recently he lived in seclusion in Hemet (CA).
On the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the club, the Lighthouse All Stars met again (but without Rumsey) for the album Jazz Invention ; Contributors were Pete Candoli , Bob Enevoldsen , Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Stu Williamson, Monty Budwig , John Guerin , Milt Bernhart and Red Callender as tuba players.
Discography
- Sunday Jazz A La Lighthouse ( Contemporary Records / OJC, 1952–53)
- Volume 3 (Contemporary / OJC, 1952–56)
- Sunday Jazz A La Lighthouse Vol. 2 (Contemporary / OJC, 1953)
- Oboe / Flute (Contemporary, OJC, 1954–56)
- Volume 6 (Contemporary, 1954–55)
- Lighthouse At Laguna (Contemporary / OJC, 1955)
- Music For Lighthousekeeping (Contemporary / OJC, 1956)
- Jazz Rolls Royce ( Fresh Sound Records , 1957)
- Mexican Passport (Contemporary, 1952–56) Compilation of Latin jazz pieces from previous recording sessions
literature
- Ed Michel : Liner Notes for Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars: Sunday Jazz a la Lighthouse, Vol. 2 .
- Martin Kunzler : Jazz-Lexikon , Reinbek, Rowohlt, 1988.
- Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide of Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .
Web links
- Hans-Jürgen Schaal about Rumsey and the Lighthouse All Stars on www.hjs-jazz.de
- Rumsey and the Lighthouse All Stars on The Hard Bop Homepage
- Memories of the Lighthouse Cafe on www.thelighthousecafe.net
- Interview with Howard Rumsey on Jazz Connection Magazine
- Obituary in The New York Times
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Rumsey, Howard |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz bassist and band leader |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 7, 1917 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brawley |
| DATE OF DEATH | 15th July 2015 |
| Place of death | Newport Beach |