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My Best Jazz Experiences Through the Decades
From grammar school on, I listened to pop tunes of the day—the hit parade songs and big band music that were in the air on the radio. As I entered junior high, I became aware of rhythm and blues, at that time called "race music." My friend's father worked for a record distributor selling music recorded by black musicians to record stores, principally located in central Los Angeles. He gave us kids samples.
Players heard on the seven-inch shellacs were such as
Louis Jordan
saxophone, alto1908 - 1975
Slim Gaillard
vocals1916 - 1991
I credit disc jockey Gene Norman for steering me toward jazz in the early fifties. He had a late evening program on KFWB which featured bands such as
Lionel Hampton
vibraphone1908 - 2002
Stan Kenton
piano1911 - 1979
June Christy
vocals1925 - 1990
Anita O'Day
vocals1919 - 2006
Kenton's band was popular with teenagers. It played in big ball rooms such as the Rendezvous in Balboa Beach and the Palladium in Hollywood. My crowd went to listen but rarely danced. In fact, we stood in front of the bandstand and felt the full force of the orchestra. Kenton's "Artistry in Rhythm" and "Intermission Riff" were big favorites. On one memorable occasion at the Palladium, however, I was surprised when the musicians stood and sang "The September Song" a capella. The novelty of this impressed me.
At that time, a buddy lived in Manhattan Beach, and we often went to the Lighthouse in nearby Hermosa Beach, said to be the place where so-called West Coast jazz was spawned. We'd go barefoot off the beach for the popular Sunday afternoon concerts with
Howard Rumsey
bass, acoustic1917 - 2015
In 1952, a friend and I heard about the piano-less quartet of
Gerry Mulligan
saxophone, baritone1927 - 1996
The club was small. There was a line out the door and along the boulevard the Saturday we went. Regarding the quartet's lack of a piano, the story was that the club was too small to accommodate one and the quartet, as well.
The crowd was eager with anticipation. When the players began "Walking Shoes," there was a burst of applause. It was something special the unique way Mulligan's rough baritone blended with 
Chet Baker
trumpet and vocals1929 - 1988
In 1954, I was enrolled at San Jose State College when I saw posters that Baker had an upcoming appearance at a theater in town. I hadn't seen Baker since the Haig. Learning that he had his own group, I had to go. Being a broke student, I signed on to usher.
Baker came on, his trumpet at his side and began singing "My Funny Valentine" in a soft, romantic manner. I was utterly surprised and somewhat dismayed to hear him. But I soon got caught up in his liquid phrasing, and it turned out fine. His quartet included the great
Russ Freeman
piano1926 - 2002
After graduating college, I took a job in Sunnyvale in the San Francisco Bay area. This period marked the rise of the 
Dave Brubeck
piano1920 - 2012
In the austere auditorium, out came the be-speckled
Paul Desmond
saxophone, alto1924 - 1977
From Sunnyvale, we occasionally took the 45-minute drive to San Francisco to hear jazz at the Blackhawk. Unforgettably, one evening we saw
Erroll Garner
piano1921 - 1977
In 1957, I moved back to Southern California with my young family. My favorite album then was tenor sax star 
Sonny Rollins
saxophoneb.1930
Shelly Manne
drums1920 - 1984
Ray Brown
bass, acoustic1926 - 2002
As I walked in, I was taken aback to hear them playing "I'm An Old Cowhand," Johnny Mercer's corny cowboy ballad. But here it was given jazz life as Rollins impishly gave his version of the range as his sound soared over the rhythm section. Later that year, Contemporary released that night's music on Way Out West. On the cover, Rollins is decked out in Western garb, posing in the desert.
Another important happening for me in 1958, was the birth of the Monterey Jazz Festival. After a six-hour drive in my friend's hip MG with the top down, we arrived during Friday evening's
Louis Armstrong
trumpet and vocals1901 - 1971
Max Roach
drums1925 - 2007
FROM THE SIXTIES TO THE EIGHTIES
Jazz was rapidly gaining in popularity by the end of the decade. In 1959 there were posters around Los Angeles announcing the appearance of the new
Miles Davis
trumpet1926 - 1991
Cannonball Adderley
saxophone1928 - 1975
John Coltrane
saxophone1926 - 1967
Wynton Kelly
piano1931 - 1971
Paul Chambers
bass, acoustic1935 - 1969
Jimmy Cobb
drums1929 - 2020
I had many Davis LPs in my collection and had seen his groups a couple times. Viewing these three stars up close in the frontline that night was a cherished experience. On the opener (I think "Milestones"), they played in unison before each horn took an extended solo. Naturally, this made each number some 20 minutes long. (I recall having the silly thought: Why not more unison playing, more songs per set.) I realized leaving that each player's turn was classic, Adderley's bright, swinging alto, complementing the dark power of Coltrane's tenor, together with Davis' cool fire. This combination was as good as it gets.
The L.A. club scene was lively in the '60s. One of my favorite spots was Shelley's Manne Hole, on Cahuenga, just below Hollywood Boulevard. It was partially owned by drummer Manne whose groups played there a few times a year. Most weeks, though, top musicians locally and from across the country were booked. Probably the most remarkable evening there for me occurred here when I saw Coltrane in 1961. He had left Davis and formed a new group which included
McCoy Tyner
piano1938 - 2020
Jimmy Garrison
bass, acoustic1934 - 1976
Elvin Jones
drums1927 - 2004
Immediately, a hypnotic mood was established as Coltrane stated and re-stated the melody, adding improvisational flourishes each time. Backing him were Tyner's repetitive chords. Jones' furious drumming drove them all, bringing the "Bolero-"like tempo to a smashing crescendo.
During the long piece, I got up and stood next to the piano, drawn by Tyner's seemingly endless reiterations on the chordal patterns. When the extended number finished, I sensed that this was a break out for all. Later the album My Favorite Things, on Atlantic, was released and was hugely successful. Not far from Shelly's was the Seville club where the hyper-kinetic vibraphonist
Terry Gibbs
vibraphoneb.1924
Disc jockey, now promoter, Gene Norman's Crescendo and Interlude clubs on the Sunset strip were a big part of the Southern California scene in the sixties. The Crescendo booked big-name groups as well as cutting-edge comedians.
Count Basie
piano1904 - 1984
"
data-original-title="" title="">Lambert, Hendricks & Ross would be headliners; with Mort Sahl or Lennie Bruce opening. Next door to the Crescendo was the smaller Interlude. It was there on an unforgettable night in the sixties that I saw the
Thelonious Monk
piano1917 - 1982
He took his place behind the piano, nodded to tenor man 
Charlie Rouse
saxophone, tenor1924 - 1988
Butch Warren
bass1939 - 2013
It was an outstanding set with mostly Monk's unique originals. His eccentric behavior was well known, though. That night, during a Rouse solo, he stood up beside his seat and danced a little shuffle, moving with the beat. At the break, I saw him standing outside on Sunset. Occasionally he would twirl—apparently in his own world.
Another great,
Duke Ellington
piano1899 - 1974
Whether the puffs enhanced the evening isn't clear. But when the lights dimmed and 
Cootie Williams
trumpet1911 - 1985
In the mid sixties rock music, along with folk music associated with the protest movement, cut into the popularity of jazz. Many were listening to the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. Interest in jazz waned—not as many records were sold and many clubs closed. Always a true jazz fan myself, I, too, added rock and folk to my LP collection, becoming somewhat of a "folkie." I still went out to hear jazz, but not as much as before.
In 1969 Miles Davis recorded Bitches Brew with his new jazz-rock fusion group which included keyboards and electric instruments. Like a lot of mainstreamers, I didn't like this new Miles. In the early eighties I did relent and attended a Davis' concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Although the music wasn't my thing, it was great the way Miles roamed the stage, playing as he went from one young solist to another. And I enjoyed his doing his "wah-wah" thing on his electrified trumpet.
When I saw Basie in 1975, it became clear that a concert could have a visual impact, as well as aural. The Count had just hired a young
Butch Miles
drumsb.1944
I saw Rollins again in the seventies on tour at a local college. Two decades earlier he had seemed austere and "no nonsense" on stage. This time, though, he joked with the crowd and, late in the set, Sonny marched out into the audience blowing "St. Thomas." Not yet a prancing Mick Jagger but much more accessible.
FROM THE EIGHTIES ON
In the last decades, I have spent wonderful nights-out, listening to greats from Wynton and
Branford Marsalis
saxophoneb.1960
Oscar Peterson
piano1925 - 2007
Keith Jarrett
pianob.1945
Joe Lovano
drumsb.1952
Michael Brecker
saxophone, tenor1949 - 2007
Notably in 1993, the first West Coast Jazz Party in Irvine, California, was born. At these parties, now going annually 16 years, promoters Joe Rothman and John McClure bring in some 70 premier jazz musicians. The bulk are from the West Coast, but always include prominent names from the East—
Bill Charlap
pianob.1966
Byron Stripling
trumpetb.1961
John Pizzarelli
guitarb.1960
Houston Person
saxophone, tenorb.1934
At these parties, established groups play, but the central concept is to put participants together in various groupings with those with whom they don't normally play. As fans know, in these jams, a player shouts a tune and the group is off—melody in unison, then solos, each picking up on a phrase left by another; one starting an idea, another finishing it. As the late critic Whitney Bailliet wrote it's "the sound of surprise."
One memorable jazz party session took place shortly after
Lionel Hampton
vibraphone1908 - 2002
Ken Peplowski
woodwindsb.1959
"Jazz cruising" for my wife and I also started that year with the annual Jazz Cruise. The ship sailed the Caribbean with world-class performers on board. Since then we've taken two others; all have been exceptional experiences. For me, an avid snorkeler, being on board—listening to music day and night, going to beaches during shore day is paradise. Another big plus—talking to your favorites.
One afternoon in 2004, I spotted pianist
Junior Mance
piano1928 - 2021
A noteworthy onboard concert that year featured compatriots, pianist
Benny Green
pianob.1963
Russell Malone
guitar1963 - 2024
On the 2008 Playboy Jazz Cruise, I saw another indelible performance. With his group, trumpeter
Roy Hargrove
trumpet1969 - 2018
As I look back, I see that most of my most vivid memories come from the early times when a lot of this music was new to me. My schedule now is still filled with jazz. I go to Catalina's in Hollywood to see big names or to Steamer's a small but bustling club in Orange County where local L.A. area players perform. By the way, it is encouraging to see the young college kids catching music there. At the parties and on cruises nowadays, it's mostly oldsters.
Next, I'm going to a Django 100 concert, commemorating the centennial of the legendary gypsy jazz guitarist. Then, a couple weeks later, on to the Newport Beach Jazz Party. There is plenty more room on my best list.
Tags
Opinion
Larry Taylor
United States
Louis Jordan
Slim Gaillard
Lionel Hampton
Stan Kenton
June Christy
Anita O'Day
Howard Rumsey
Gerry Mulligan
Chet Baker
Russ Freeman
Dave Brubeck
Paul Desmond
Errol Garner
Sonny Rollins
Shelly Manne
Ray Brown
Louis Armstrong
Max Roach
Miles Davis
Cannonball Adderley
John Coltrane
Wynton Kelly
Paul Chambers
Jimmy Cobb
McCoy Tyner
Jimmy Garrison
Elvin Jones
Terry Gibbs
Count Basie
Lambert, Hendricks and Ross
Thelonious Monk
Charlie Rouse
Butch Warren
duke ellington
Cootie Williams
Butch Miles
Branford Marsalis
oscar peterson
Keith Jarrett
joe lovano
Michael Brecker
Bill Charlap
Byron Stripling
John Pizzarelli
Houston Person
Ken Peplowski
Junior Mance
Benny Green
Russell Malone
Roy Hargrove
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