Biography
Howard Rumsey possessed enough command of the bass to perform with Stan Kenton's orchestra, although his chief legacy rests on founding the Lighthouse All-Stars and directing operations at the Lighthouse. He began his career as a drummer before switching to bass during his college years. In the late 1930s he worked with Vido Musso, and when Stan Kenton assembled his first band in 1941, Rumsey joined as its bassist. The next year he turned to freelance work throughout the Los Angeles area. In 1949 he introduced jazz to the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, CA. Within a few years the club's jam sessions drew many of the area's foremost jazz-oriented studio musicians, and Rumsey led the Lighthouse All-Stars, an ensemble that recorded extensively for Contemporary during the 1950s and featured Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Cooper, Bud Shank, and Bill Perkins. Rumsey stopped playing in the 1960s so he could devote himself full-time to running the Lighthouse; after selling the club he briefly operated the nearby Concerts by the Sea.
Albums
