Original Oil Painting by Rodney Evans Bacon – «Play Something»

West Coast Jazz was born in California, and throughout the 1950’s and 60’s the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach was the very center of it. In 1949 the club owners allowed bassist and bandleader Howard Rumsey to put together a house band, which he led for many years – often through exhausting 12 hour jam sessions. The house band grew into an institution that came to be known as the Lighthouse All-Stars, and featured a “Who’s Who” of West Coast jazz legends: Conte Candoli, Shorty Rogers, Richie Kamuca, Bill Holman, Gerry Mulligan, Bud Shank, Shelly Manne, and Jimmy Giuffre were regulars. Max Roach was the regular drummer for a time. Maynard Ferguson and Chet Baker sat in. The club also became an important venue for recording; Art Pepper, Lee Morgan, Cannonball Adderley, Mose Allison, Ramsey Lewis, Art Blakey, Charles Earland, Grant Green, Elvin Jones, Cal Tjader, the Modern Jazz Quartet, The Three Sounds, the Jazz Crusaders and Joe Henderson all made recordings there. Chet Baker and Miles Davis recorded there with the Lighthouse All-Stars. The Lighthouse was the place to be for West Coast Jazz, although it also served as a confluence for other artists as well. In the early 1950’s now-manager Howard Rumsey began displaying modern art in the Lighthouse and for several years the paintings of contemporary artists including Rodney Evans Bacon were a regular part of the club’s decor. Bacon, a California artist known for surreal jazz-themed paintings, is closely associated with the West Coast Jazz movement. He is also known for his work designing jazz album covers. Bacon also once appeared in a film as a conga player on stage with Shorty Rogers. In this unique painting, a young, bashful clown stands alone in the spotlight. He’s full of self-doubt. He’s been called upon to play something. Will he rise to the occasion? This painting contains tension, and opportunities for imagination. Bacon sometimes painted his subject more than once, but it is unknown how many of this character exist. This was never licensed for prints, so there are only a handful of original hand-painted versions of this character. This painting surfaced sometime in the late 2000’s, when it was purchased by a local trumpet player and art collector. Regrettably, there is what appears to be a pencil mark close to the trumpet. This has been taken into account when pricing this unique and rare piece. The framed painting will be safely packed to ship, or free pick up in the Los Angeles area. Dimensions will be updated / added soon, please FAVORITE us and check back!