Pacific Jazz Records
Encyclopedia
Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles
-based record label
best known for releasing cool jazz
or West coast jazz
. It was founded by Richard Bock (1927-88) and drummer Roy Harte in 1952
.
Some of the musicians that recorded for Pacific Jazz include Chet Baker
, Gerry Mulligan
, Paul Desmond
, Joe Pass
and Gerald Wilson
.
The label was purchased by Liberty Records
in 1957, which added a world music
label, World Pacific Records, and continued both labels for a decade or so. Eventually, Liberty and the record companies it had bought over the years fell under the ownership of EMI
.
Today, Pacific Jazz Records exists in name only via reissue
s of its material. The label's jazz catalog is now controlled by Blue Note Records
.
Twelve inch series
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
best known for releasing cool jazz
Cool jazz
Cool is a style of modern jazz music that arose following the Second World War. It is characterized by its relaxed tempos and lighter tone, in contrast to the bebop style that preceded it...
or West coast jazz
West coast jazz
West Coast jazz refers to various styles of jazz music that developed around Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a sub-genre of cool jazz, which featured a less frenetic, calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music tended to be more heavily arranged,...
. It was founded by Richard Bock (1927-88) and drummer Roy Harte in 1952
1952 in music
-Events:*February 26 - Jo Stafford marries bandleader/arranger Paul Weston.*March 21 - First reported Rock and roll riot breaks out at Alan Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland, Ohio...
.
Some of the musicians that recorded for Pacific Jazz include Chet Baker
Chet Baker
Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer.Though his music earned him a large following , Baker's popularity was due in part to his "matinee idol-beauty" and "well-publicized drug habit."He died in 1988 in Amsterdam, the...
, Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
, Paul Desmond
Paul Desmond
Paul Desmond , born Paul Emil Breitenfeld, was a jazz alto saxophonist and composer born in San Francisco, best known for the work he did in the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for penning that group's greatest hit, "Take Five"...
, Joe Pass
Joe Pass
Joe Pass was an Italian-American jazz guitarist of Sicilian descent. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century...
and Gerald Wilson
Gerald Wilson
Gerald Stanley Wilson is an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer/arranger, 8 time Grammy nominee, and educator. He has been based in Los Angeles since the early 1940s....
.
The label was purchased by Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
in 1957, which added a world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
label, World Pacific Records, and continued both labels for a decade or so. Eventually, Liberty and the record companies it had bought over the years fell under the ownership of EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
.
Today, Pacific Jazz Records exists in name only via reissue
Reissue
A reissue is the repeated issue of a published work. In common usage, it refers to an album which has been released at least once before and is released again, sometimes with alterations or additions....
s of its material. The label's jazz catalog is now controlled by Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
.
Partial discography
Ten inch series- 1 - Gerry MulliganGerry MulliganGerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
- Gerry Mulligan Quartet - 2 - Gerry Mulligan - Gerry Mulligan Quartet/Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Lee Konitz
- 3 - Chet BakerChet BakerChesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer.Though his music earned him a large following , Baker's popularity was due in part to his "matinee idol-beauty" and "well-publicized drug habit."He died in 1988 in Amsterdam, the...
- Chet Baker Quartet - 4 - Harry Edison - Sweets at the Haig
- 5 - Gerry Mulligan - Gerry Mulligan Quartet
- 6 - Chet Baker - The Chet Baker Quartet Featuring Russ Freeman
- 7 - Laurindo Almeida - Laurindo Almeida Quartet Featuring Bud Shank
- 8 - Russ Freeman - Russ Freeman Trio
- 9 - Chet Baker - Chet Baker Ensemble
- 10 - Gerry Mulligan - Lee Konitz and the Gerry Mulligan Quartet
- 11 - Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings
- 12 - Bob Gordon - Meet Mr. Gordon
- 13 - Laurindo Almeida - Laurindo Almeida Quartet Featuring Bud Shank, Volume 2
- 14 - Bud Shank - Bud Shank and Three Trombones
- 15 - Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sextet
- 16 - Bob Brookmeyer - Bob Brookmeyer Quartet
- 17 - Chico Hamilton - Chico Hamilton Trio
- 18 - Al Haig - Al Haig Trio [unreleased]
- 19 - Clifford Brown - The Clifford Brown Ensemble Featuring Zoot Sims
- 20 - Bud Shank - Bud Shank and Bob Brookmeyer
Twelve inch series
- 1201 - Gerry Mulligan - California Concerts
- 1202 - Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings and Plays with Bud Shank, Russ Freeman and Strings
- 1203 - Chet Baker - Jazz at Ann Arbor
- 1204 - Laurdindo Almeida - Laurindo Almeia Quartet Featuring Bud Shank [reissue of 7 and 13]
- 1205 - Bud Shank and Shorty Rogers - Bud Shank and Shorty Rogers
- 1206 - Chet Baker - Trumpet Artistry By Chet Baker
- 1207 - Gerry Mulligan - The Original Gerry Mulligan Quartet
- 1208 - Jack MontroseJack MontroseJack Montrose was a jazz tenor saxophonist and arranger. After attending university in Los Angeles he worked with Jerry Gray and then Art Pepper. Montrose also did arrangements for Clifford Brown...
- Jack Montrose Sextet - 1209 - Chico Hamilton - Chico Hamilton Quintet with Buddy Collette
- 1210 - Gerry Mulligan - Paris Concert
- 1211 - Cy Touff - His Octet and Quintet
- 1212 - Russ Freeman and Richard Twardzik - Trio
- 1213 - Bud Shank - Strings and Trombones [reissue of 14 and 20]
- 1214 - Various - Arranged by Montrose
- 1215 - Bud Shank - The Bud Shank Quartet
- 1216 - Chico Hamilton - The Chico Hamilton Quintet in Hi-Fi
- 1217 - Bill Perkins - Grand Encounter: Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West
- 1218 - Chet Baker - Chet Baker in Europe
- 1219 - Bud Shank - Jazz at Cal-Tech
- 1220 - Chico Hamilton - Chico Hamilton Trio [reissue of 17]
- 1221 - Bill Perkins - The Bill Perkins Octet On Stage
- 1222 - Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings [reissue of 11]
- 1223 - Hoagy CarmichaelHoagy CarmichaelHoward Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the...
- Hoagy Sings Carmichael - 1224 - Chet Baker - Chet Baker and Crew
- 1225 - Chico Hamilton - The Chico Hamilton Quintet
- 1226 - Bud Shank and Bob Cooper - Flute 'n' Oboe
- 1227 - Jim Hall - Jazz Guitar
- 1228 - Gerry Mulligan - At Storyville
- 1229 - Chet Baker - Chet Baker Big Band
- 1230 - Bud Shank - Bud Shank Quartet Featuring Claude Williamson
- 1231 - Chico Hamilton - Zen: The Music of Fred Katz
- 1232 - Chet Baker - The Chet Baker and Russ Freeman Quartet