Shorty Rogers Shorty Rogers Volume 1: 1946-1954 (5-CD)

In December 1945 Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie took a sextet to LA at the request of club owner Billy Berg. If any event can be said to mark the start of the West Coast sound, this is it. Their first night in Hollywood was attended by many of the area's leading musicians who received them ecstatically. Not everybody was so well disposed, of course. Many of the older crew, brought up on Dixieland and big band music hated bebop. The younger set, though, seized on it. A West Coast market soon developed for bop - although sometimes the musicians seemed to outnumber the audiences. One of the few constants was the Lighthouse Club, in Hermosa Beach. In 1947, Kenton alumnus, Howard Rumsey sold its owner the idea of a house band. Soon the Lighthouse All Stars became the local band of note, and the venue an essential stop for visiting musicians. An early stalwart of the club was trumpeter, composer and arranger Shorty Rogers. After service in the Herman and Kenton bands, as well as his appearances at the Lighthouse, Rogers established an unrivaled reputation as a bandleader, session player and arranger. This collection charts his speedy evolution from promising newcomer to established elder statesman, and at the same time, represents an important part of the history of the West Coast sound.