Thealbum covers ofBlue Note Records, an Americanjazz record label, are recognized for their distinctive designs. Many feature a combination of bold colors, experimentaltypography, andcandid photographs of the album's musicians, and have been described as belonging to theBauhaus andSwiss Style movements.
In the early 1950s, theLP record format gained popularity, increasing the demand for album covers with graphics and information. During this time, artists likeGil Mellé,Paul Bacon, andJohn Hermansader began designing covers for Blue Note, often featuring pictures by photographerFrancis Wolff. In 1956,Reid Miles, a former assistant to Hermansader, was hired as Blue Note'sart director. Miles designed 400 to 500 album covers for the label, which used varioustypefaces, mixedletter cases, and design principles and techniques such asasymmetry andtinting.
Miles left Blue Note in 1967 following founderAlfred Lion's retirement; after Miles's departure, Forlenza Venosa Associates and other artists, includingMati Klarwein andBob Venosa, designed many of the label's covers. The early to mid-1970s saw the work of designers such asNorman Seeff andBob Cato featured on Blue Note covers, while in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the label's records were reissued in Japan with new covers designed by Japanese artists. From the mid-1980s through the early 21st century, a number of artists, includingPaula Scher,P. R. Brown, andAdam Pendleton, contributed to the cover designs for the label's releases.
The Blue Note album covers, particularly those designed by Miles, have been highly regarded and considered definitive of jazz's visual identity. Critics have praised the covers' designs as iconic and noted their ability to capture the spirit of the musicians and their music. The style of these covers has inspired several graphic designers and musicians, influencing a wide range of album art and other visual media.
Blue Note Records is an Americanjazz record label founded in March 1939 inNew York City by German immigrantAlfred Lion.[1] The label initially comprised Lion and writerMax Margulis, who provided funding andcopywriting services.[2] Blue Note's first releases wereDixieland "hot" andboogie-woogie-style jazz, and featured acts such asAlbert Ammons,Frankie Newton, andJ. C. Higginbotham.[3] The label's firsthit record was a version ofGeorge Gershwin's "Summertime" recorded by saxophonistSidney Bechet.[4]
Lion's friend, photographerFrancis Wolff, joined the label in October 1939 and headed the business during Lion's military service in the early 1940s, distributing Blue Note records through the wholesale division at producerMilt Gabler'sCommodore Music Shop.[5] Following Lion's return in November 1943, the label began to embrace the increasingly popularbebop style of jazz, releasing records from musicians such asIke Quebec andThelonious Monk in the mid-1940s.[6]
At almost every Blue Noterecording session, Wolff tookcandid photographs of the musicians as they played, seeking to capture honest and unrehearsed moments.[7] Though they were taken primarily for personal reasons rather than marketing purposes, theblack-and-white photographs were used infrequently in Blue Note advertising material,publicity photos, and onrecord sleeves.[8] However, with the growing popularity of 10-inch (25 cm)LP records in the late 1940s and early 1950s came an increased demand for detailed album covers with graphics and information, replacing the plain paper sleeves that were previously common. As a result, Wolff's photos were featured on more of Blue Note's covers after the label began issuing 10-inch LPs in 1951.[9]
One of the first appearances of Wolff's photographs on a Blue Note album cover was onWynton Kelly's albumPiano Interpretations (1951), which was designed by saxophonistGil Mellé.[10] Graphic designersPaul Bacon andJohn Hermansader also incorporated Wolff's photos in their designs, such as those for Monk'sGenius of Modern Music, Vol. 1 (1952) andBud Powell'sThe Amazing Bud Powell (1952).[11] While the album covers during this period used Wolff's photography, the textual information and designs featured on the covers were prioritized over the inclusion of images.[12]
Bacon and Hermansader created most of Blue Note's covers throughout the early to mid-1950s, includingDizzy Gillespie'sHorn of Plenty (1953), Powell'sThe Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 2 (1953), andthe Jazz Messengers'sAt the Cafe Bohemia (1956).[13] Their designs, which balanced fancifultypography with Wolff's pictures, would later serve as inspiration for the work of designerReid Miles, then an assistant to Hermansader.[14]
In the mid-1950s, Blue Note began issuing 12-inch (30 cm) LPs after previously being unable to afford to adopt the format.[15] In 1956, Miles, now working in the art department ofEsquire magazine after leaving Hermansader's studio in the same year, was hired by Wolff as Blue Note'sart director, and was tasked with designing the covers for the early 12-inch releases.[16][a] Wolff and Blue Note founder Alfred Lion had been impressed by Miles's work at the label in the year and a half before his exit, which included co-design credits on the cover ofMiles Davis'sVolumes 1 & 2 (1956) with Hermansader.[18] Miles, a fan ofclassical music, was not interested in jazz and relied solely on Lion's descriptions of the music on the albums to design their covers.[19] He was paid $50 (equivalent to $441 in 2024) for each cover he made.[20]
Miles's first 12-inch designs were forreissues ofMilt Jackson'sMilt Jackson and the Thelonious Monk Quintet (1956) and the two volumes of Monk'sGenius of Modern Music (1956).[17] He continued designing for Blue Note throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, employing a number of techniques across the covers; on some, he made minimal edits to Wolff's portraits, such as on the cover ofJohn Coltrane'sBlue Train (1957), while on others he included photographs of objects, as seen onHank Mobley'sPeckin' Time (1958) andJackie McLean'sJackie's Bag (1961), which depict a redsuitcase and a string-tiedfile folder, respectively.[21] The latter album was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Album Cover – Other Than Classical at the4th Grammy Awards.[22] For some designs, he collaborated with then-unknown artistAndy Warhol, whose illustrations appeared on the covers ofJohnny Griffin'sThe Congregation (1958) andKenny Burrell'sKenny Burrell, Volume 2 (1957) andBlue Lights, Vols. 1 & 2 (1958).[23] Miles also designed the covers for albums such asBaby Face Willette'sFace to Face (1961) andAndrew Hill'sSmoke Stack (1963) during this time.[24]
In 1963, Miles was hired as the art director ofColumbia Records by company presidentGoddard Lieberson but was still allowed to design for Blue Note.[25] In the following years, he became more experimental with his typography, sometimes omitting photos entirely, such as on the cover ofLarry Young'sUnity (1966).[26] He would also design covers forEric Dolphy'sOut to Lunch! (1964),Tony Williams'sSpring (1965),Horace Silver'sThe Jody Grind (1966), andCecil Taylor'sUnit Structures (1966).[27] Miles later began to take photographs himself; a picture of a woman, taken by Miles, is shown on the cover ofLou Donaldson'sAlligator Bogaloo (1967).[28] Simultaneously, additional designers and artists, including Bob Fuentes andOrnette Coleman, began creating covers for Blue Note. Coleman, a saxophonist for the label who also painted, contributed his artwork to the cover of his albumThe Empty Foxhole (1966).[29]
Lion sold Blue Note toLiberty Records in 1965 and soon became dissatisfied with the pressures of the corporate system.[30] This frustration, coupled with heart problems, prompted his retirement from the label in 1967.[31] Following Lion's departure, Miles also left, as Liberty's marketing team became more involved in the design process.[32] During his eleven-year tenure as art director at Blue Note, Miles designed 400 to 500 covers.[b]
After Miles left Blue Note in 1967, many of the label's covers were designed by Forlenza Venosa Associates, whose works included McLean's'Bout Soul (1967),Bobby Hutcherson'sTotal Eclipse (1967), Donaldson'sMidnight Creeper (1968),John Patton'sThat Certain Feeling (1968), and Silver'sSerenade to a Soul Sister (1968).[37] Tony De Stefano was credited with the design ofElvin Jones'sThe Ultimate (1968).[38] ArtistMati Klarwein designed the cover ofReuben Wilson'sBlue Mode (1970), which features artwork from painterBob Venosa.[39] Venosa also created cover designs, such as those for Mobley'sThe Flip (1969) and McLean'sDemon's Dance (1970).[40]
Blue Note covers in the early 1970s featured designs by Eileen Anderson, whose work appears on the cover ofDonald Byrd'sBlack Byrd (1973), andNorman Seeff, whose cover design onRonnie Foster'sTwo Headed Freap (1973) incorporates photography fromAl Vandenberg.[41] The mid-1970s saw graphic designerBob Cato create the covers of Hutcherson'sMontara (1975) andRonnie Laws'sPressure Sensitive (1975).[42] In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Japanese record companyKing Records, along with other Japanese labels, began reissuing Blue Note records domestically.[43] These reissues, which includedDexter Gordon'sClubhouse (1979),Art Blakey'sPisces (1980), andGrant Green'sOleo (1980) andNigeria (1981), featured illustrations, photographs, and designs from Japanese artists such as Toshikazu Tanaka, Akiyoshi Miyashita, K. Abe, and T. Fujiyama.[44]
In the mid-1980s, Richard Mantel and Terry Koppel designed the covers of Hank Mobley'sFar Away Lands (1984) and Grant Green'sBorn to Be Blue (1985), respectively, whilePaula Scher created the cover ofBobby McFerrin'sSpontaneous Inventions (1986).[45] In the early 1990s, Tommy Steele was credited with the design forDianne Reeves'sI Remember (1992), Mark Larson made the cover ofCassandra Wilson'sBlue Light 'til Dawn (1993), and Eric Baker Design Associates worked on the cover art ofJoe Lovano'sRush Hour (1994).[46] Patrick Roques created several Blue Note covers in the mid-1990s, including those of Hutcherson'sPatterns (1995), Mobley'sA Slice of the Top (1995), andWayne Shorter'sEt Cetera (1995).[47] The late 1990s saw Bleu Valdimer of Project Dragon design the cover forMedeski Martin & Wood'sCombustication (1998), andP. R. Brown forJason Moran'sSoundtrack to Human Motion (1999).[48]
Designers of Blue Note album covers in the 21st century include Jessica Novod Berenblat, who is credited with art direction and design for the covers ofNorah Jones'sCome Away with Me (2002) andFeels like Home (2004).[49] Jeff Jank designed the cover ofMadlib'sShades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note (2003), whileconceptual artistAdam Pendleton worked on the cover of Moran'sTen (2010).[50] Designer J.C. Pagán designed the cover ofRobert Glasper'sBlack Radio 2 (2013), which features photography byJanette Beckman.[51]
Miles is credited with developing the style of Blue Note's album covers and shaping the label's overall visual identity.[52] His covers have been described as belonging to theBauhaus andSwiss Style movements.[53] They are generally characterized by their use of bold colors likeochre,vermilion, andindigo,[54] and visual design techniques and principles such ascontrast,negative space,asymmetry, andtinting.[55] Some covers featureabstract artwork with blocks of colors and shapes, as seen onSonny Clark'sSonny Clark Trio (1959).[20] The typography varies between upper and lower caselettering and employs a wide range oftypefaces, includingsans-serif andcalligraphic fonts, the latter of which are seen on the covers ofLee Morgan'sLee Morgan Indeed! (1956) andDizzy Reece'sSoundin' Off (1960).[56] Some covers from the mid-1960s show a more experimental typographic style, such as those of McLean'sIt's Time! (1964), which contains multipleexclamation marks in a black type on a white background, andJoe Henderson'sIn 'n Out (1964), which integratesarrow symbols into the text.[57] At times, personnel ortrack listings are omitted from Blue Note cover designs.[20]
The covers, especially those from the mid-20th century, are often supplemented by Wolff's photography, which appeared on hundreds of Blue Note album covers.[58] On several covers, Wolff's pictures arecropped for accentuation, such as on the covers of Monk'sGenius of Modern Music (1956) and McLean'sIt's Time! (1964), or are used as canvasses for typography.[59] For the cover ofKenny Dorham'sUna Mas (1963), the album's title is positioned to fit in the space between Dorham's index finger and thumb; similar methods of arranging text around the cover image's contents can be seen on the covers ofFreddie Roach'sGood Move! (1963) and Gordon'sOur Man in Paris (1963).[60]
Later covers are mostly distinguished by their use of illustrations, as seen on those of the Japanese Blue Note reissues and the work of Klarwein and Venosa.[61] Some cover designs in the mid-1980s and 1990s continued to feature Wolff's photographs, such as those designed by Roques.[62] Others were directly inspired by the style of past Blue Note artwork; the cover of Moran'sTen (2010) features ten black dots and the label's logo without the title or the artist's name, a creative decision he stated was a tribute to "classic Blue Note".[63] The covers of Madlib'sShades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note (2003) andVan Morrison'sWhat's Wrong with This Picture? (2003) have also been noted as homages to the label's early art style.[64]
The Blue Note album covers, particularly those designed by Reid Miles, have been described as being definitive of the visual identity of jazz, serving as a symbol of the genre's imagery.[66] In a 2019Vox article, Estelle Caswell praised the covers as iconic and considered them to be "the 'look' of jazz", while in 2005 David Hinckley of theNew York Daily News called Miles a "visionary" and highlighted his adeptness in capturing the essence of the artists when using Wolff's photography on his covers.[67] Design writersSteven Heller and Greg D'Onofrio stated in their 2017 bookThe Moderns that Blue Note's covers were consistently innovative, and commended their ability to accurately convey the spirit of the music.[36]Dave Gelly ofThe Observer wrote in 1999 that the Blue Note covers were classics, and commented:
Every album cover was tantalizing, with its bold, futuristic design and a photo of the artist slotted into the pattern, like an icon. Sometimes the picture was tiny, squeezed up into one of the letters of the title; sometimes it was cropped into a weird shape; sometimes it was a great, big, handsome portrait. Blue Note bathed its artists in glamour. They were heroes. They seemed to inhabit a charmed world and who would not yearn to be part of it?[68]
Several graphic designers and musicians have used the style of Blue Note's album covers as inspiration for their own work. A project by artist Logan Walters featured the album covers ofWu-Tang Clan reimagined in the Blue Note style.[69] Designs featuring portraits of US presidentBarack Obama have emulated those of the label's covers.[34] In a 2014 interview with theKennedy Center, Blue Note presidentDon Was noted that the logo forLate Night with Jimmy Fallon resembled a Blue Note album cover.[70] The album art of other musicians has been influenced by Blue Note's covers, includingElvis Costello'sAlmost Blue (1981), whose cover is an homage to Burrell'sMidnight Blue (1963), Van Morrison'sThe Skiffle Sessions – Live in Belfast (1998), which has a cover inspired by Blakey'sFree for All (1965), andAesop Rock'sFloat (2000), whose cover features a design reminiscent of Taylor'sConquistador! (1968).[71]
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