PACIFIC JAZZ 45 EP RELEASES – PART ONE
© James A. Harrod, COPYRIGHT PROTECTED; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The extended play releases on Pacific Jazz utilized the same cover art and liner notes that appeared on the 10” LP releases from which selected tracks were taken for the 45 EP release although there were a few exceptions.  A future post will depart from the presentation of labels and feature the covers and liner notes from the EP series.  The first 10” LP cover photograph was taken by Dave Pell who is best known for his tenor saxophone work with the Les Brown Orchestra and his own Dave Pell Octet, but Dave was also an accomplished photographer who did a lot of album covers for Bethlehem, RCA Victor and Mode Records.  The first Chet Baker Quartet cover was designed by John Brandt who designed covers for Gene Norman Presents, Trend Records and the innovative west coast music journal, THEME.  Brandt’s cover for the 10” Chet Baker LP used a photograph by William Claxton who would join Pacific Jazz as Artistic Director and design all of the Pacific Jazz covers that would define west coast jazz. 

This page from the Fall 1955 catalogue continued to list the Al Haig Trio as an EP release, but as stated previously it is in doubt that was released. 

All label images © EMI Capitol Music

All label images © EMI Capitol Music

© James A. Harrod, COPYRIGHT PROTECTED; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

THE PACIFIC JAZZ / PACIFICA 10" LP LINE
© James A. Harrod, COPYRIGHT PROTECTED; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The first Pacific Jazz 10” LP, PLJP-1, (Bock got it right on the label that reads PJLP-1) literally put Pacific Jazz on the map.  This initial release sold so well that the pressings eventually numbered in the thousands. One of the record shops in Los Angeles that specialized in jazz was Ray Avery's Rare Records.

"Record Roundup" on South La Cienega

Ray Avery’s “Record Roundup” was originally located across the street from the Pan Pacific Auditorium.  When Ray’s three month rental period expired he moved his log cabin jazz record shop to South La Cienega, shown above.  Ray liked to quip, “I got my start in a log cabin, just like Abe Lincoln.”

In the summer of 1952 Ray moved to a larger store front at 6631 Hollywood Boulevard.  Ray recalled in an interview that the first Gerry Mulligan Quartet record on Pacific Jazz sold so quickly that he would have to make several trips a week to California Record Distributors to pick up more stock.

Ray Avery’s Rare Record Shop was the jazz record mecca in Los Angeles.  If Ray didn’t have the record, it probably was not available.  Ray knew just about everybody in the jazz community and everyone in the jazz community knew Ray, or if they were new in town, they would soon. Ray had a standing invitation from Dick Bock to attend Pacific Jazz recording sessions.  Ray was an avid amateur photographer and his photos would often appear on record covers and in jazz publications. 


Pacific Jazz would release its first 12" LPs early in 1955.  The record industry began to adopt the new 12” LP format and the 10” LP line would soon be phased out by Pacific Jazz.  Dick Bock decided to move the remaining stock out and reduced the retail price to $2.99.

This promotion was so successful that Bock considered keeping the 10” LP in the line and an article in the June 25, 1955 issue of Billboard confirmed this plan. 

But when Turetsky ran the figures Bock realized that Pacific Jazz could not stay with the $2.99 retail and maintain the desirable margin of profit, so the 22 10” LPs listed below constitute the entire output of Pacific Jazz in this format.

PJLP-18 was pulled from production and the only tracks from this New York session that appeared on Pacific Jazz were on the 78 RPM release.  A planned 45 single and 45 EP were never released.  This was around the time that Pacific Jazz was moving toward adopting the 12” LP format and Bock wanted Al Haig to come to the west coast so that additional tracks could be recorded to fill out a 12” LP.  Haig agreed, but wanted Bill Crow and Lee Abrams to come to Los Angeles as well.  Bock countered that Los Angeles had abundant drummers and bassists who could fill in the rhythm section.  Haig was adamant, so was Bock, the release was pulled from production.

All label images © EMI Capitol Music

(All label images © EMI Capitol Music) 

The next post, later this month will cover the Jazz West Coast (JWC prefix series) and the Mark IV (PJM & WPM series).


© James A. Harrod, COPYRIGHT PROTECTED; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

PACIFIC JAZZ 78 & 45 SINGLES

PACIFIC JAZZ 78 & 45 RPM SINGLE RELEASES
© James A. Harrod, COPYRIGHT PROTECTED; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The Pacific Jazz label was founded in June of 1952 by Dick Bock and Roy Harte.  At the time Dick Bock was handling publicity and off night entertainment at The Haig, a small night club off Wilshire Boulevard at 638 South Kenmore.  Bock had worked for Albert Marx’s Discovery Records from 1948-1951 where he would frequently visit the mailing address for the label at 6207 Santa Monica Boulevard, actually a pressing plant that handled all of the production for Discovery Records.  After leaving Discovery Bock went back to Los Angeles City College and became an occasional contributor to Down Beat magazine where he would run into Roy Harte when visiting the building where the west coast office of Down Beat and Roy Harte’s drum shop were located.

   Roy Harte, circa 1952

Born New York, New York, May 27, 1924.  Roy began drum lessons at age 10, and became a protege of Dave Tough at 13.  While in high school Roy played drums with Muggsy Spanier and Dizzy Gillespie. After high school Roy went on the road and played drums with:  Dick Norman Orchestra,  Jerry Winner Orchestra,  Henry Jerome Orchestra,  Muggsy Spanier Orchestra,  Jerry Wald Orchestra,  Bobby Sherwood Orchestra,  George Paxton Orchestra, Billie Holiday Orchestra, Boyd Raeburn Orchestra,  Billie Rogers Orchestra,  Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra,  Ike Carpenter Orchestra, and the Stan Kenton All-Stars.  

      Roy Harte's Drum Shop, 1948

Roy Harte settled in Los Angeles in 1948 and opened his first drum shop at 6104 Santa Monica Boulevard.  The west coast offices of Down Beat magazine and the Art Whiting Recording Studio were located in the same building at the corner of Gower and Santa Monica Boulevard.  Roy’s new shop was an agent for W. F. L. Drums, Slingerland Drums, Gretsch Drums, Leedy & Ludwig Drums, Premier Drums, K. & A. Zildjian Cymbals.

Roy Harte with one of his first drum kits

Roy settled into studio work in addition to operating the drum shop and teaching drum rudiments, he recorded with:  Vido Musso, 1947;  Ziggy Elman, 1948;  Les Brown, 1949;  Dave Pell, 1949;  Nappy Lamar, 1950;  Tennessee Ernie Ford, 1950, 1951, 1952;  Cliffie Stone, 1950, 1952;  Kay Starr, 1951;  Tennessee Ernie Ford & The Dinning Sisters, 1951;  Tennessee Ernie Ford & Helen O’Connell, 1951;  Stan Freberg, 1952;  Skeets McDonald, 1952;  Jimmy Bryant & Speedy West, 1952;  Ella Mae Morse, 1952;  Tex Ritter, 1952.

At one point Roy was so busy with studio work that he kept a basic drum kit at several recording studios so that he could respond to a call quickly.

I asked Roy about the distinctive Pacific Jazz logo that was introduced on the first PJ recordings.  Roy said that he bought a stencil set from a dime store and composed the logo using that typeface.  Roy could not recall what the stencil set or typeface was called and searches to match this typeface to known examples have failed. 

Roy Harte and Remo Belli in front of Drum City

In the spring of 1952 Roy Harte moved up the street to 6124 Santa Monica Boulevard where he and his partner, Remo Belli, named the new shop DRUM CITY.  The first Pacific Jazz "office" was located in a converted practice room.  As the label expanded the upstairs apartment would be turned into offices for Pacific Jazz and the affiliate branches of the label, Harbock for music publishing, Linear Publications for music score publishing, the west coast offices of Down Beat magazine (Roy Harte had persuaded Charlie Emge to move from the building at Gower and Santa Monica Boulevard at the same time that Roy moved) and in 1954 the offices of Nocturne Records would be upstairs as well when Roy and Harry Babasin launched their label.  

The first part of this post covers all of the 78 RPM singles issued by Pacific Jazz including a drum demonstration single that Roy produced and the first pop single that was issued on the Pacifica label.

The second part covers the 45 RPM singles issued at the same time carrying the same release number preceded by a 45- as seen in the catalogue pages covering these releases.

Another partner in the new enterprise was Phil Turetsky, a trained CPA who also recorded live jazz in his spare time. The release on Pacifica features his wife, Michael Raine.

All label images © EMI Capitol Music

(All label images © EMI Capitol Music) 

THE 45-600 SERIES - PART ONE

Not all releases on 78 RPM singles were issued as 45 RPM singles.  The Al Haig Trio 45 single was not issued nor was the 45 EP that continued to be listed in Pacific Jazz catalogues.

(All label images © EMI Capitol Music) 

(All label images © EMI Capitol Music) 

AL HAIG TRIO 45-626 NOT ISSUED

CLIFFORD BROWN ENSEMBLE 45-627 

LABEL IMAGES NEEDED

Over time I hope to post labels of every Pacific Jazz / World Pacific album that was released by the label. The next post will cover the 10" LPs released by Pacific Jazz including the label of the Al Haig Trio that was pulled from release by Dick Bock.  

There are some gaps in the collection and it is hoped that this publication will be seen by other PJ/WP collectors who can assist in filling those gaps.  Contributors will be acknowledged for their additions to complete this listing of PJ/WP labels.

© James A. Harrod, COPYRIGHT PROTECTED; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.