Back in the 1960s, if you lived in Los Angeles, the jazz world was your oyster, as you had a surfeit of clubs in which to spend the evening to take in the modern sounds. One of the most legendary was The Lighthouse, home of the birth of what became known as “West Coast Jazz” and the stage for stars including Shorty Rogers, Gerry Mulligan, Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Shelly Manne and bands like the one co-lead by the team of drummer JC Heard and saxist Bill Perkins which included the legendary guitarist Joe Pass as well as Jim Hughart/b and Frank Strazzeri to fill out the rhythm section for this recoding.
Perkins was the personification of the warm toned tenor that imbibed the well of Lester Young. He is rich and breathy on the sleek “Bob’s Blues” and bops with delight on “Don’t Stand Up.” His rich lyricism is gorgeous on an incomplete take of “There Will Never Be Another You” while on bariton sax he grooves to a shuffle on a swinging “Blues In Hoss’ Flat.” Pass is rapid fire ready as he simmers with Heard on the fiery “Cute” and is given a rich solo moment on a lovely “Sometime Ago.” The team stretches out as Heard lets the sparks fly on “Mambo-Bop” while Hughart and Strazzeri push and pull on a velvety “Passion Flower.” All that’s missing is the two drink minimum.
The excellent liner notes give impressive background on the musicians, the club and the vibe of the LA jazz scene during the swinging 60s.