Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society

The San Francisco Chronicle Calendar section has an article today about the 40th anniversary of the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society - Pete Douglas, proprietor - at Miramar Beach on the Half Moon Bay coastside.

The 40-year anniversary will be marked today with a screening of "Jazz on the West Coast: The Lighthouse," a 77-minute documentary chronicling the famed Lighthouse jazz club in Hermosa Beach. Stars of the so-called L.A. "Cool" style like Bud Shank and Shorty Rogers first gained prominence in now legendary 1950s Lighthouse jam sessions led by bassist Howard Rumsey. The Lighthouse just happens to be where a teenage Pete Douglas first caught the jazz bug.

Read the article for a brief history of the club and interview with Pete although the article does little to reveal his personality. Pete, love him or hate him, has single handedly supported jazz on the coast and made the Bach what it has been for the last 40 years and is today. For more information see: www.bachddsoc.org.