West Coast Jazz

The mural West Coast Jazz was created by the renowned muralist, John Pugh, who works in the Trompe L'oeil style. The phrase "narrative illusionism" is often used to describe John's work, giving the illusion of a three-dimensional scene. His studio is in Truckee, NV. In very dramatic fashion the mural reminds viewers of the rich history of jazz in Hermosa Beach particularly as it rolled out of the lighthouse cafe from the 1950's to the 1970's. The mural depicts a larger-than-life trumpet with the hands and fingers of a musician on the valves. Reflected on the right hand side of the bell is the great jazz bassist, Howard Rumsey. On the left hand side the mural depicts the trumpet playing, jazz vocalist, Chet Baker, along with jazz saxophonist, Gerry Mulligan. Rumsey, Baker, and Mulligan were leading representatives of the "cool" West Coast Jazz style. The background shows the soft, aging brick and slowly fading Lighthouse Cafe sign still visible at the cafe's rear entrance about 100 yards to the west. Under the ownership of John Levine and with club manager, Howard Rumsey, the Lighthouse Cafe and West Coast Jazz became synonymous. Howard's often changing, but consistently popular, Lighthouse All Stars played their hearts out night after night, and produced album after album, more than 25 of which were recorded at The Lighthouse Cafe between 1952 and 1989. Other musicians at The Lighthouse Cafe in those days included the biggest names of the era; Shorty Rogers, Bud Shank, Shelly Mann, who went on to open Shelly's Mann Hole, and Max Roach. Under Rumsey's guidance the club became an important venue for musicians like Art Pepper, Lee Morgan, Cannonball Adderley, Don Ellis, Mose Allison, Ramsey Lewis, the Modern Jazz Quartet and others.