Bob Barry Jazzography Exhibit @ American Jazz Museum – May 9th thru July 21st
jazz photography photos
jazz photography canvas prints
jazz photos
Photos from our screening at the iconic Arclight Hollywood
jazz photography framed prints
jazz singers photos
jazz canvas prints
Invitation to our screening at the Brand Library – Glendale
Audio clip – Bob reminisces about his father.
Write up of Jazzography In Black & White in Just Guitar Magazine
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Guitar Legend Frank Potenza ©Bob Barry
If it were a fairy tale, Bob Barry – Jazzography In Black & White would begin “Once upon a time…” That once upon a time was the day a father gave his son an old Kodak camera. Nothing like the sleek digital cameras sold today, this camera had a bellows, a folding box of pleated material that forms the light tight seal between lens and film. That boy would take the film he shot to be developed then wait in eager anticipation for the results. It began a fascination with still imagery that continues to this day.
Bass Virtuoso Chuck Berghofer ©Bob Barry
That single act by Bob’s father set the course for the rest of his life and ultimately resulted in his career as a “jazzographer.” A specialty best described by Bob’s mentor and legendary jazz photographer Ray Avery as “performance portraits” and defined as artists in action in their natural habitat photographed in available light. His work has been exhibited at the prestigious American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, the Brand Library in Glendale and dozens of other venues in the United States and abroad including a permanent collection installed at the sound department of Universal Studios.
Bob has taken photos of the famous and not so famous jazz artists of the last quarter century including Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra Jr., and Nancy Wilson, in addition to his largest body of work, performance portraits of the greatest guitar players in the world. It’s an impressive list. Herb Ellis, Kenny Burrell, John Pisano, Frank Potenza, Pat Kelley, Anthony Wilson, Barry Zweig, Mundell Lowe, Ron Anthony, Phil Upchurch, and many more.
Bob’s photo gallery can be viewed here. http://Jazzography.com
Bob’s iconic photo of the Godfather of Guitar, John Pisano, titled “Sleepy” ©Bob Barry All Rights Reserved
However, Bob’s life hasn’t just been about taking photos. As a character model he’s been the photographic subject of the late Diane Arbus and many others. Prior to his photography career, as a struggling actor, Bob appeared in dozens of television commercials, acted in stage productions in his words, “from off off off Broadway all the way to Broadway,” plus performed as a guitarist in the night clubs and cabarets of New York.
If Bob Barry is the “star” of Jazzography In Black & White, the photos Bob has taken over the years are the co-stars. Simply put, they are visually stunning. Together with Bob’s reflections on his life and interviews with his friends, the artists he’s photographed, club/gallery owners, and his peers, Jazzography In Black & White is a complete picture of a talented artist now at the peak of his career.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER – Dailey Pike is the producer, cinematographer and editor of this film. Himself a jazz photographer, Pike got the idea for his film after a chance meeting with Bob Barry at the now closed jazz club Charlie O’s. After striking up a friendship based on their mutual love of jazz, then seeing Bob’s voluminous body of work, he posed the question, “Has anybody done a documentary about you and if not why not?” A year later Pike’s “jazzumentary” was complete. Pike has an extensive background in the entertainment industry. This is his first full length documentary. He has produced other short films including What Would Mary Do? in 2011. His IMDB resume can be viewed here. http://DaileyPike.info
“I have always seen the musician as a heroic figure, very much like the Cervantes character, Don Quixote. They are always challenging themselves, and risking everything on a dream. They ignore the odds of success, and listen only to the song inside them rather than the naysayer surrounding them. As a jazz photographer, I have, and will continue to archive, and exhibit images of the great musical artists of my time, the famous, and the lesser known, but no less great. It is my challenge to capture the nature, and spirit of these musical artists, so that all who view my work, can get to know them as I have.”
Bob Barry
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The Late Great Al Viola ©Bob Barry
Jazzography In Black & White 