LIghthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach
Published Sunday, September 13th 2009 - Updated Monday, September 5th 2011
The first weekend after Labor Day inevitably leaves the beaches relatively deserted, despite the fact that the weather and water aren't discernibly different from the previous weekend when crowds flock to the coast. As such, when we arrived at the midway point of our Sunday morning walk, we found plenty of room for our chairs in prime sand by the Hermosa Beach Pier. After soaking in the sea air for a few minutes, we left our beach stuff to walk over to the Lighthouse Cafe in Pier Plaza where Jay was already enjoying some great jazz.
Lou Rovmar and his Small Big Band are the best band I've heard at this historic venue (http://www.thelighthousecafe.net).
They delivered a big band sound from a small combo that included amazing musicians on every instrument, including keyboards, standup bass, drums, guitar, three saxes, flute, trombone, and Santa Claus himself on trumpet. The conductor, who to me sounded a little like Kermit the Frog when he good-naturedly introduced the songs, didn't play an instrument himself, but he kept everything together like Glen Miller himself. The club's entertainment manager, Gloria, came by our table to say this band leader always brought together great musicians. She was obviously happy to have them playing there. She said she knew how to pick good acts, adding that she had learned well from her husband Ozzie who held the job before he passed away.
The club has been serving great jazz for decades. In the 1950s, the late Howard Rumsey had built the Lighthouse Cafe into the preeminent southland jazz venue with his band, the Lighthouse All Stars, a sextet (quintet on weekdays) made up mostly of veterans from the Stan Kenton Band.
The Lighthouse still has hot jazz and cold drinks, and the prices are always reasonable. On Sundays, you can get a delicious brunch for under ten bucks, accompanied by great music. Bloody Marys are just $3 and quite tasty. It's another terrific choice if you have a cruise from Long Beach or San Pedro in the afternoon. Then again, there's live music there most evenings, too.
Some of the bands play reggae or rock, but the heart of the Lighthouse is the jazz. The prices and tastes are always as great as the music.
After an hour or so, Julie and I returned to our chairs on the beach to soak in the sun. I went out in the water to do a little body surfing. The strong undertow combined with waves that were coming to shore in an uneven pattern that resulted more in crunches than rides, so I didn't spend a long time in the water today.
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