Pat Britt

Patt Britt was born January 18, 1940, in Pittsburgh, Pa., and was raised in San Mateo, started late for a musician. Due to the limited scope of AM radio in this country, his early exposure to music was centered in the R&B idiom. Pat was totally absorbed by the Soul scene until, at age 16.

"I was 17 when I became entranced with music instead of baseball--I almost went with a St. Louis Cardinals farm team," Pat said. "My brother-in-law bought me a record by Bud Shank and Laurindo Almeida. I listened to it about 10 times and thought, 'Anything that sounds this good must be fun to do.'"

So, he went to a music shop to get a guitar, but ended up with an alto saxophone instead. In about two months, he taught himself to play reasonably well. When he joined the San Mateo College swing band, due to the collective's needs he had to switch to baritone sax.

In 1958, Britt found himself in trouble after being arrested for stealing bologna from a supermarket. The judge assigned him to Prentice “Pete” Douglas, a probation officer who had recently returned from serving in Japan following the end of the Korean War. Douglas, who had pursued a sociology degree at UC Santa Barbara, settled in Half Moon Bay, where he secured a position as a San Mateo County probation officer in 1957.

That year, Pete Douglas had purchased a former and abandoned brewery and burger joint, the Ebb Tide Cafe, on Miramar Beach in Half Moon Bay, where Douglas also lived with his family. When Britt went to his appointment with Douglas, the probation officer, he noticed the baritone saxophone the young college student kept in his car and invited him to Half Moon Bay. Douglas already had the idea of having music in his beach house, and he saw in that young man the possibility of realizing an old dream.

Actually, the whole story goes back to when Douglas was 18, a "Beach Boy from Hermosa Beach," club-hopping and immersing himself in the jazz scene with his friends at places like the High Seas club and the Lighthouse Café, where he witnessed the transformation of the jazz scene initiated by Howard Rumsey in November 1948. Rumsey, a former bassist for Stan Kenton, and his popular Sunday afternoon sessions would later become the focus and origin of the so called West Coast Jazz. “Howard Rumsey and the musicians he hired so influenced my jazz jouney,” said Douglas. Inspired by his experiences and as a jazz lover, he aimed to create a party atmosphere of challenging music where beatniks, artists, and coastal residents could hang out, enjoy the music, drink beer and relax on the beach.

Drawn by Rumsey's influence at the Lighthouse, almost ten years later, Pat Britt's encounter with Douglas played a pivotal role in launching the jazz scene at Douglas's beach house. The genesis of it all occurred in the summer of 1958 when Britt, accepting Douglas's invitation, arrived with a group of musician friends and started playing in the house living room. "They came in at 11:30 and played all night," Douglas remembers. "Daylight was coming, and they were still wailing away!" That was the first live music of any kind at the beach house. Musician friends began dropping in to play, spreading the word about it. In the following years these informal gatherings eventually evolved into regular concerts featuring some of the Bay Area's top professional musicians.

Britt soon became quite active in the San Francisco jazz scene. At this point, a friend noticed that Pat was encountering challenges with his musical development and suggested he contact Bud Young, a teacher and alumnus of the Artie Shaw and Woody Herman bands, who was developing an 18-piece band at the College of San Mateo. Pat credits Bud with teaching him proper notation, voicing, and harmony. "I had formed a lot of bad habits, but Bud was a patient and thorough instructor. He also helped me get my feet wet in arranging."

Fresh out of school, Pat started gigging around the city, developing working relationships with prominent local R&B leaders, including Sly Stone (then known as Sylvester Stewart). He also worked on some top-forty charts for Bobby Freeman and The Checkmates.

Britt eventually became the music director of a 15-piece house band that backed up R&B artists at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. "Many singers would come to town with inadequate charts," remembers Pat, "and I would attempt to alter or complement their material." While his charts enhanced what the singers had to offer, Pat's relationship with these performers was mutually beneficial, as it enabled him to realize his enjoyment of composing and arranging.

Although backing pop singers was paying the rent, Pat soon became dissatisfied with the limitations that genre imposed on his compositional efforts. He decided to form his own jazz group and play at local clubs, while also seeking non-musical part-time jobs to make ends meet.

On Saturday, Fourth of July, 1964, a party was organized at Douglas Beach House, where some guests were dancing to jazz. In the midst of the celebration, an enthusiastic and mischievous young engineer, thoroughly enjoying the festivities, set off a heavy charge of explosives attached to a stopwatch buried in the sand on Miramar beach. Amidst the explosions in the background, Douglas, in response to the prankster, promptly played the Bach Brandenburg Concertos on the hi-fi system, positioning large speakers facing the beach and turning up the volume to maximum, filling the surroundings with classical music. Meanwhile, inside the house, attendees continued dancing to Bach music, keeping rhythm in 4/4 time, while periodic explosions could be heard from outside on the beach. The following morning, Douglas went out to collect his mail and discovered that a local resident had humorously painted "Bach and Dynamite Dance Society" on his mailbox. These amusing and thoughtful words were not forgotten and later became the name of Douglas' beach music venue.

To meet the demands of the burgeoning beach jazz scene, there was a proposal to make these gatherings more frequent. Acting on this suggestion, and as a free-spirited jazz enthusiast, Pete Douglas, expanded the venue by adding an upstairs floor, where he resided, and then an additional wing to accommodate the growing crowds. Shortly afterward, in November 1966, he established the iconic "Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society" on the Coastside. Operating as a nonprofit corporation, it was dedicated to jazz and classical music, providing a relaxed environment for talented musicians to showcase their chosen music to an appreciative audience.

Meanwhile, Pat Britt continued his professional engagements in the San Francisco Bay Area, seizing sporadic opportunities. During this period, he held the alto chair in Buddy Hiles' notable band, alongside musicians like Leo Wright, Dewey Redman, and Webster Young. Additionally, he featured prominently in the esteemed 1964 Don Piestrup rehearsal 18-piece big band, which operated out of a garage on 6th and Allston Way.

In 1965, Pat also formed his own quintet, which included his friends George Muribus on piano, Bruce Wolf, valve trombone; Len Lasher, bass; Paul Distel alternating with Buddy Barnhill, drums; and occasionally Al Molina, on trumpet. With this line-up, Pat recorded an album for Mainstream in 1966 that wasn't released until 1971, when Crestview Records bought the masters. "We did some straight ahead pieces as well as a few blues tunes. It's kind of unfortunate that the album had to sit in the can for so long. Since all the players on the date lived in the area, we decided to title the album ‘Jazz from San Francisco’.

Pat led his own quintet between 1965 and 1967 with performances at the Jazz Workshop when this San Francisco club was one of the main spokes of the Bay Area jazz hub. During this period, Pat also played with the Maynard Ferguson orchestra at the San Francisco Opera House in 1967, and he also appeared as featured soloist of the Vern Spaugh’s “Contemporaries,” 14-piece Stage Band, the Santa Cruz High School Night Class Orchestra.

Until 1966, Piestrup's Bay Area-based ensemble made occasional appearances in Oakland concerts at venues such as Casual’s and the Auditorium Theater. While Piestrup relocated to Los Angeles in 1967 to pursue his composing career, he occasionally returned to Oakland to lead the orchestra he founded. A significant highlight was their engagement at the Leamington Hotel on Sunday, January 21, 1968, drawing around 300 big band enthusiasts. Notably, Pat Britt served as alto soloist during this event, with Larry Vuckovich on piano. Following this success, Pat intermittently collaborated with Piestrup, occasionally being replaced by altoist Jules Broussard.

In April 1968, Douglas expanded his schedule of activities by incorporating folk or blues music into one of his regular Sunday afternoon programs for the first time. Meanwhile, jazz sessions were ensured by several Bay Area musicians such as Don Prell, Ritchie Crabtree, Benny Barth, Chuck Travis, Bill Atwood, and Vince Wallace. According to Douglas, many of them performed practically for no money, simply for the chance to play their own charts. Among the visitors to the 'Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society' in April 1970 was Chet Baker, who, back in good health after years of difficulties, led a quintet of local musicians.

In 1970, Pat Britt relocated to Los Angeles, where he played nightly with his own groups or as a sideman, showcasing his talents on alto and soprano saxophone. Additionally, he secured a day job as tape editor and reissue producer at Vee Jay International, where he remained for five years.

On September 5, 1971, Pat made a notable comeback to "The Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society," this time for a charity jazz festival. Leading his San Francisco quintet, he graced the stage following the performance of Don Piestrup's big band. His performance garnered high acclaim from the audience, many of whom were his friends, undoubtedly pleasing Pete Douglas as well.

In 1972, Pete Douglas added a separate performance space next door with room for about 200 seats and a small stage. The society gathered concerts every other Sunday afternoon at Douglas’ big roomy house. According to Britt, this is when Douglas started booking some of the biggest names in jazz to play his small seaside venue. Jazz legends, including Bobby Hutcherson, Carmen McRae, Stan Getz, Hampton Hawes, Cal Tjader, John Handy, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Buddy Collette, Frank Rosolino, Joanne Brackeen, Eddie Jefferson, Eddie Henderson, George Adams, Don Pullen, they all played at the Bach. Pianist Bill Evans’ trio recorded live there in 1973. “I almost cried. Bill Evans was playing there. Bill Evans was my hero," Britt said. "I just couldn’t believe it. Bill Evans was playing at Pete Douglas’ place.” The recording was done by Pete Douglas, and was later released in 1998 on CD by Fantasy Records on its Milestone label, and with Pat as associated producer.

In 1976, Pat continued his activity in the record business as a producer and founder of the Catalyst label, a jazz division of Springboard International, which between 1976 and 1977 recorded albums by his own quintet and names such as Frank Strazzeri, Hadley Caliman, Gary Bartz, Don Menza, Jim Gannon, George Muribus, Sam Most, Ron Jefferson, Billy Mitchell, Junior Cook and Sonny Stitt. Pat adhered to a laissez-faire production philosophy. He encouraged his artists to develop their own adventurous approach to performing the material and to select performers with whom they felt most comfortable in a recording situation. Pat's philosophy was based on his belief that a mature musician must understand the conditions in which he performs best.

"My main goal," says Pat, "is to establish a stable of capable players who have paid their dues as sidemen, and give them the opportunity to express themselves as leaders. While I may exercise constructive criticism during mixdowns, and even suggest certain approaches to miking the players, the choice of material is 100% theirs." Britt kept the label alive for about two years but sales were not as expected and Catalyst folded.

Besides his work in record production, during the 1970s, Pat remained highly active as a musician. In 1975, he played with his quartet at El Matador in San Francisco. He also joined the sextet led by tenorist Red Holloway, which included trumpeter Oscar Brashear and pianist Art Hillery. Additionally, from 1978 onwards, Pat assembled a quintet with Wilbur Brown, a tenor saxophonist known for his collaborations with Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, Hank Crawford, and Woody Herman. They were accompanied by a rhythm section consisting of pianist Teddy Saunders, bassist Henry Franklin, and drummer Ron Jefferson, performing regularly at Donte's and the Carmelo's club. In September 1981, Pat appeared with Sonny Stitt at the "Friends of Jazz Festival" held at the Irvine Bowl in Laguna Beach. He also performed with Wilbur Brown and the Kent Glenn trio at the Improv on Melrose Avenue and at Dino's in Pasadena.

In 1984, Pat Britt, along with Wilbur Brown, with whom he had already been working in Los Angeles, formed a new quintet that performed at the Donte's club in North Hollywood. Starting in October 1985, Pat began a 15-year streak of Sunday night sessions at the Cat & Fiddle, a British-style pub located at 6530 Sunset Blvd., in Hollywood. These sessions featured his sextet, known as the Pat Britt/Wilbur Brown & Sextet, with Pat on alto and soprano saxophone, and Wilbur Brown on tenor saxophone, along with Carl Saunders on trumpet, Dwight Dickerson on piano, Jim Crutcher on bass, and Clarence Johnston on drums. Over the years, the sextet underwent many changes, with pianists Ted Saunders, Kent Glenn, or Art Hillery, and bassists Larry Wales or Pat Senatore, as well as trumpeter Gary Barone, among others, joining the ensemble at various times. Additionally, on Mondays, Pat Britt led his 12-piece band, the Dirty Dozen, at the Hyatt on Sunset Blvd., while continuing the Sunday sessions at Cat & Fiddle. However, in May 2000, Wilbur Brown tragically died from pancreatic cancer, prompting Pat to discontinue the longest-running weekly jazz club gig that had until then been a cornerstone of the Los Angeles jazz scene.

On September 25, 2005, jazz lovers who had beaten a path to the “Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society” over the past four decades could catch a musical glimpse into the players and forces that shaped it in “An Evening with Howard Rumsey," a 77-minute film featuring bassist Howard Rumsey. His musical journey intertwined with and influenced that of the Bach. As per Bach tradition, the second half consisted of a jam session featuring many of the musicians who were there way back when — people like Pat Britt, who set the tone for the Bach, and Rumsey himself, then 87 years old. Pete Douglas, the Bach's own impresario since its beginning, said he was not into nostalgia. But it couldn’t be helped this time, he added, since Britt approached him with the idea. “He started the whole damn thing,” Douglas said, “like he always had.”

The “Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society” temporarily closed after Douglas passed away in July of 2014. Pete’s middle daughter, Barbara Douglas Riching, succeeded him as president of the society and reopened the legendary oceanfront live music club in 2015. The Bach's small but passionate group of members helped sustain the venue and regularly attended concerts, continuing to do so up until the present day, offering a great program of top jazz artists.

After 2005, Pat continued to play and remained involved in the record business for a while, until he eventually left the jazz scene. Pat Britt passed away on February 5, 2022. Although he may not have been a prominent figure in jazz, he was highly respected as a musician and known for his generosity towards his fellow artists. Additionally, he played a significant role as a jazz record producer. "As long as I’m around music, I’m happy," he once said. "The idea when I fell in love with music was to be involved with it." May he be remembered fondly.