Murray Bertrand "Ray" Avery

Avery, Ray
Murray "Ray" Bertrand Avery, world-renowned jazz photographer, retailer, and collector, has died. He died of a heart attack on November 17 at UCLA Medical Center. Ray was born September 28, 1920 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and moved to Big Bear Lake, California in 1926. He attended UCLA before enlisting in the Army Air Corps in 1943. Ray served as a pilot in WWII and flew C-46 transports over the Himalayas from India to China. During his time in the service, Ray became interested in photography when his father gave him a 35mm camera to record his exploits as a pilot. In 1947 Ray opened his first jazz record store, the Record Roundup. After relocating a few times, Ray opened his world famous record store, Rare Records, in Glendale, California in the early 1950's and ran it until 1986. It became a haven for jazz musicians and enthusiasts alike. Many of Ray's early photographs document the birth of West Coast jazz and the artists who defined this period in the 1950's. Ray attended and documented jazz festivals over the years, including all the Monterey Jazz Festivals, Nice, France Jazz Festivals, the Los Angeles Classic Jazz Festivals, twenty years of the New Orleans Jazz Festivals, and the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland. His photographs have appeared on over 150 LP covers, over 125 compact disc covers and several books and documentary films on the history of jazz. Ray has also had numerous photography exhibitions showcasing his extensive collection. In 1990, Ray founded the Jazz Photographers Association of Southern California and was President Emeritus. Ray's photo book, "Stars of Jazz" was published in 1997 by JazzMedia, Copenhagen, Denmark. The book is a historical photo documentation of the "Stars of Jazz" TV series which aired in the mid 1950s. In 1997 Ray Avery received the Milt Hinton award as photographer of the year. Ray leaves behind his sister Magi Brom, his daughter Alison Stevenson, his two stepsons Stan and Greg Lewerke, and five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. His son Jeff preceded him in death in 1984. His wife, Nancy Lewerke Avery died in January 2001. He will be missed tremendously. The Jazz world mourns.