Pacific Jazz Records
Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record label best known for releasing cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded by producer Richard Bock (1927–1988) and drummer Roy S. Harte in 1952. Harte, in 1954, also co-founded Nocturne Records with Harry Babasin.
Some of the musicians that recorded for Pacific Jazz included Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond, the Jazz Crusaders, Joe Pass and Gerald Wilson.
In 1957, Pacific Jazz Records changed its name to World Pacific Records to expand into a full-line label, with the Pacific Jazz label retained for jazz releases.
Richard Bock and World Pacific were instrumental in introducing Indian traditional music to the west via Ravi Shankar, who also recorded for World Pacific.
The label was purchased by Liberty Records in 1965. World Pacific's only major hit was "Elusive Butterfly" by Bob Lind in 1966. Liberty continued both labels for a few years and also issued some releases on a combined World Pacific Jazz label. By the early 1970s, Liberty and its associated labels were owned by United Artists Records, which stopped issuing new material on the Liberty imprints. By the end of the 1970s, EMI had acquired United Artists Records and so became the owner of the ex-Liberty masters.
