If alto saxophonist Pat Britt hadn't stolen bologna from a Bay Area supermarket in 1958 at age 18, we might never have known his name or his role in helping to found the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, a jazz club still operating on Miramar Beach in Half Moon Bay, Ca. The beach-house club became Half Moon Bay's version of The Lighthouse at Hermosa Beach south of Los Angeles, an informal jazz incubator where Bay Area musicians came to sit in. [Photo above of Pat Britt]
For Britt's crime of shoplifting, the judge assigned him to Prentice "Pete" Douglas, a probation officer. Douglas owned a beach house, and when Britt turned up for his appointment, Douglas noticed a baritone saxophone in his car. He immediately thought that Britt might be ideal for helping him realize his dream of turning his beach house into a jazz club.
Britt took him up on his offer and brought friends, who played in the living room through the night. Word spread, and other musicians began dropping in to jam. It was all impromptu, the way Douglas imagined it. Britt started taking private saxophone lessons to up his game and was soon a fixture on the San Francisco jazz scene. He eventually became the music director of a 15-piece band at the Cow Palace that backed R&B acts. [Photo above of Pete Douglas's beach house]
On July 4, 1964, a party was held at Douglas's beach house. While the music and dancing picked up, an engineer set off heavy charges of explosives on the beach as a prank to disrupt the party and music. In response, Douglas blasted the Bach Brandenburg Concertos on his hi-fi, the speakers aimed at the beach. [Photo above of the club today]
The next morning, when Douglas went out to his mailbox, he saw that a local resident had painted "Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society" on his box. Douglas laughed, realizing he now had a name for his club.
Britt recorded only five albums over the course of his career. The first was Jazz From San Francisco. Recorded for the Crestview label in October 1966, Britt's quintet featured Al Molina (tp), Bruce Wolff (v-tb), Pat Britt (as), George Muribus (p), Len Lasher (b), Paul Distel (d) or Buddy Barnhill (d). The rare LP was just reissued with 24-bit remastering by Fresh Sound
As you'll hear on the following three tracks, the quintet had a Jazz Messengers vibe, but there was a lyrical, freewheeling and beachy energy that distinguished them. Britt's alto saxophone had an edge, but while his solos may not have been as fluid as Los Angeles players, there's plenty of heft and strength. Britt was also a terrific composer, and the pianist, George Muribus, who is new to me, had superb chops.
Pat Britt died in February 2022. He was 82.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Jazz From San Francisco (Fresh Sound) here.
Important: Don't forget to apply Fresh Sound's JazzWax code at checkout for an 8% discount on everything you buy. The code is JAZZWAX_DISCOUNT
JazzWax clips: Here's Al Molina's Ahmad's Turban...
Here's Pat Britt's Young Bud...
And here's Britt's Bostwick's Little Bag...