Documentary Production and Distribution News

Famed Jazz Photographer Bob Barry Star Of Documentary "Jazzography In Black & White"

By StudentFilmmakers.com
posted Jun 6, 2012, 10:23

(Los Angeles, CA) - The trailer for this "jazzumentary" can be viewed by clicking this link.

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.

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 Pasadena and dozens of other venues in the United States and abroad including a permanent collection installed at the sound department of Universal Studios.

He 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 by clicking this link.

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.





Resources:

www.jazzography.com