The Boys & Girls Club of Coachella Valley’s Heatwave Jazz and Show Band at Pete Carlson’s Golf & Tennis

Known throughout Southern California for their unique Las Vegas sound and style, the Boys & Girls Club of Coachella Valley’s Heatwave Jazz and Show Band will perform on the back patio of Pete Carlson’s Golf & Tennis, located at 73-741 Highway 111 in Palm Desert, on Saturday, September 24th. Donations are welcome and benefit the music program of the Boys & Girls Club of the Coachella Valley.

The 28-piece band’s members range in age from 9 to 18, and all belong to the Boys & Girls Club of Coachella Valley. The band, directed by Jim Little, started three years ago and, last spring, won the prestigious “Specialty Act” Award at the McCallum Theater’s Open Call event. Their first CD, Heatwave Jazz and Show Band Live, featured jazz great, Ronnie Laws, as a special guest.

Pete Carlson, a longtime local jazz enthusiast, is very pleased to host the Heatwave Jazz and Show Band’s free concert for both the Boys & Girls Club of Coachella Valley and the community. “We are promoting the show and providing a venue so the Heatwave Jazz and Show Band can perform and the public can experience their music. We want the community to see how beneficial the Boys & Girls Club is for the kids. This is a wonderful way for kids to develop themselves through music. We hope it might attract and motivate others to take advantage of this great opportunity,” notes Carlson.

There are two very special elements to the evening’s festivities. The American Jazz Institute will be announcing $500 scholarships to local student musicians.  Also, internationally known jazz musician and promoter, Howard Rumsey, will be making a rare personal appearance.

Manager and operator of one of the premier jazz venues in Southern California, the Lighthouse Café, Rumsey also owned and operated Concerts By The Sea in Redondo Beach. Born in Brawley, Ca., Rumsey first began playing the piano, followed by the drums and then the bass. After jobs with Vido Musso and Johnny Davis, Rumsey became part of Stan Kenton's first band. Rumsey left Kenton, and started playing with Charlie Barnet and Barney Bigard. Rumsey then took a short hiatus from music, and soon after returned to the Los Angeles jazz scene to form the group the Lighthouse All-Stars. For most of the 1950s, this group played each Sunday at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach. During its time, the Lighthouse All-Stars and the Lighthouse Café were two of the primary modern jazz institutions on the west coast, providing a home for many Los Angeles musicians.