Jazz On The West Coast: The Lighthouse

The story of the Lighthouse jazz club and the Lighthouse All-Stars has never before been fully documented. It represents an important but often overlooked part of jazz history. This film began as a tribute. However the story became so compelling that the film came to show the trials and tribulations of two men of widely different backgrounds who overcame many obstacles to achieve their eventual success. Through a combination of smart business sense and hard work they were able to bring their little club from humble beginnings to success during the modern jazz era of the 1950s and 60s. This 78 minute film depicts the fears, prejudices, and hardships encountered in starting a jazz club in a small California beach town at that time. The film includes many original photographs, video clips and interviews with many original Lighthouse musicians as well as jazz fans, jazz critics and personnel from the original club. It also includes a one hour interview with Howard Rumsey, the bandleader. The Lighthouse achieved legendary status among knowledgeable jazz fans world wide and became the place many young jazz fans got their start in a life-long appreciation of jazz.