Pacific Jazz Records

Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles–based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded in 1952 by producer Richard Bock (1927–1988)^[1] and drummer Roy Harte (1924–2003).^[2] Harte, in 1954, also co-founded Nocturne Records with jazz bassist Harry Babasin (1921–1988).^[3]

Some of the musicians who recorded for Pacific Jazz included Chet Baker, Paul Desmond, Gerry Mulligan, Joe Pass, Gerald Wilson, the Jazz Crusaders,^[4] Don Ellis, Clare Fischer, Jim Hall, Groove Holmes, Les McCann, Wes Montgomery, and Art Pepper.^[5]

In 1957, Pacific Jazz Records changed its name to World Pacific Records^[6] to expand into a full-line label, with the Pacific Jazz label retained for jazz releases.^[7][8]

In 1958 Richard Bock and World Pacific were instrumental in introducing Indian traditional music to the West via Ravi Shankar, who also recorded for World Pacific.^[9][5][10]

Bock sold the label to Liberty Records in 1965, although he remained as an adviser until 1970. Liberty was merged into and discontinued by United Artists Records in 1971; UA in turn was bought by EMI in 1979. Mosaic reissued some Pacific Jazz material in the late 1980s, as did Blue Note when it gained control of the catalog in the 1990s.^[5]

Releases from Pacific Jazz Records are distributed digitally on streaming platforms through Universal Music Group.