Harry Babasin's Jazz In Hollywood

[jazzwestcoast]

am i allowed to make Dorothy Ashby- "Hip Harp" an -honorary- West Coast Jazz record?

I think that's fine, chewy!

I have an album, a Liberty release called "John Duffy at the Mighty Columbia Square Wurlitzer". While it would be hard to consider it jazz by any sense of the word, my father is listed as co-producer with John Neal, who worked with him on most of the Nocturne series.

That certainly puts it in the realm of west coast jazz and, either way, it's part of the story...

[jazzwestcoast]

About two weeks ago, I met with and was interviewed by a journalist, Ishkhan Jinbashian, who writes for The Armenian Reporter, a prominent Armenian newspaper that has international circulation, from Glendale, CA to Switzerland. He was blown away by the story of my father and the film project and published a story about my father and my struggle to make the documentary. As well as being printed and at many newsstands, there is also an online version that is available in downloadable .PDF files.

For those of you interested enough to read it, you have to go to their homepage -

http://www.armenianreporteronline.com/

Then, you hit the "ACCESS" button in the lower left hand corner to be taken to the mainpage. Hit the PDF link and open 'Section C - Arts & Culture'.

Here is the opening paragraph -

"Rediscovering the miracle of West Coast Jazz

The story of Harry Babasin

by Ishkhan Jinbashian

Inventor of cool

Years before “The Girl from Ipanema,” Harry Babasin helped create the Bossa Nova sound

The space in Von Babasin’s living room seems rather inadequate for his drive – let alone his towering figure. On a glum Los Angeles morning in July, he picks out an LP record from a neatly organized bookcase row of albums. It’s an extremely rare 10-inch record featuring the music of his late father, Harry Babasin. As Von talks about the album at approximately the pace of a tommy gun, his demeanor is that of a boy permanently let loose in a toy store. There is also veneration in his voice. It comes from a deep, joyous, almost spiritual appreciation for extraordinary music, which ultimately animates his determination to help publicly honor his father’s legacy on the one hand, and that of West Coast Jazz on the other."

It was very gracious of Ishkhan and the editors at the Armenian Reporter to take such an interest in my father's story - I can't thank them enough.