JAZZ PHOTOGRAPHY by BOB BARRY

My dear friend and mentor the late Ray Avery referred to my work as “Performance Portraits.” It is the description that most satisfies me. Almost all my images were taken during performances, and in ambient light. It has been my experience that only under these conditions can I find the honesty, and vulnerability that I look for. When an artist is focussed on his work , he is not concerned with how he looks to others, and there are no guarded, uncomfortable moments.

My passion for photography began in the late sixties in New York City. It began with the parks and architecture, and then segued to the people and streets of the city.

In the last nine years, I have shifted my focus to musicians, and in particular, Jazz Musicians. Since the inception of John Pisano’s Guitar Night at Papashon’s Restaurant in 1997, I have chronicled over 250 of these unique and special events at Papashon, Rocco, and the Guitar Nights’ current home, Spazio. I have had the pleasure of photographing over 125 of the worlds finest guitarists, along with bass players, drummers, assorted horn, keyboard, reed players, and of course the vocalists.

I have completed photo Art for over fifty CD’s including the releases for Rosemary Clooney, Kenny Burrell, Dianne Schuur, Charley Shoemake, Pat Kelley, Frank Potenza, John, & Jeanne Pisano, and the Patrick Williams sound track CD for the mini-series “Blonde.” Along with the above has come a great deal of newspaper, book, and magazine work.

I am on the Board of Directors of the Jazz Photographers Association of Southern California, and on the Board of the Milt Hinton Award Committee given out for excellence in Jazz Photography. My perpetual Calendar “The John Pisano Guitar Night Calendar" was recently published, and I am presently at work on a photo essay book called “Guitar Night.”

Please contact me at:

Phone and Fax: 323 856 0565

E-mail: Jazzography@sbcglobal.net

Web site: Jazzography.com