Blue note records, that scrappy little label founded by. Glyn callingham is a walking encyclopedia on jazz of the 50s and 60s and runs the legendary rays jazz shop in london. Mar 31, 2014 many of these album covers were designed by reid miles for blue note records. The thing to do blue mitchell with junior cook, chick corea, gene taylor and al foster blue note records 4178 1964 what a beautiful cover. The releases will be allanalog whenever an analog source is available. Miles designed more than 500 covers for blue note records and together with photographer francis wolff defined the visual branding of the label. At once a kind of steward station, hooking listeners up with recordings that change their lives, and a beacon pointing out where to locate sounds that recalibrate jazzs possibilities, the label has always been a conductor of comfort and community. Blue note remains one of the most influential jazz labels of all time, and its cover art is a virtual timecapsule of cool. The two main series were 1500, which ran from 1955 to 1958, and 4000, which ran c.
The blue note team music matters jazz vinyl reissues. Mar 14, 2019 each trio is grouped by the following themes. How many music labels can honestly claim to be more than just a label, but an actual brand. Beautiful reproductions of original artwork and labels. Blue note had occasional hits but flourished through its reputation for treating musicians with respect and for designer reid miless eradefining sleeves, which are deftly animated for swiss. My knowledge of blue note in the 50s and 60s is pretty good but prior to that time it is pretty shaky. For me, the latest person whose name caused me to happily hit the dirt is reid miles, an amazing modernist designer who designed over 500 lp covers for blue note records through the 1950s and 60s. Reid miles, was twentyeight years old when he began working on the designs for blue note s long playing records. The biography chronicles the life of the most famous and influential jazz label of them all.
The art of legendary jazz label blue note records udiscover. The photography of cofounder francis wolff and the cover designs of reid miles were integral to the labels success and this highly illustrated, landmark publication featuring the very best photographs, covers, and ephemera from the archives, including neverbeforepublished. Reid miles 4 july 1927 2 february 1993 was an american graphic designer and photographer. Most of these classic covers were designed by reid myles for blue note records. Reid miles had the rare talent only the best art directors possess, says cuscuna. The complete blue note albums compiles tracks jazz trumpeter miles davis recorded for blue note records during the 50s. Another classic blue note cover design demonstrating reid miles love. During the labels heyday in the 1950s and 60s blue note records had a distinctive sound and an equally distinctive look, thanks to wolffs exceptional photography and reid miless instantly identifiable album covers. The 1500 series has been systematically reissued by toshibaemi in japan blue note works 1500 series, 20bit 88.
With records by herbie hancock, freddie hubbard, joe henderson and more. Who are the designers behind some of musics most striking. Distinct from the tone poet audiophile vinyl reissue series, this 2 nd series curated by don was and cem kurosman features midpriced 180g vinyl releases in standard packaging with albums spanning the many eras of the labels history presented by. The impossibly cool album covers of blue note records. Frank dug his photography out and reid started designing covers around 55. They brought in reid miles to give blue note a new look and great cover images. Its cool how the design of these covers mimic the expressive nature of the music on the albums.
Blue note jazz photography of francis wolff by francis wolff. Blue note is not only known as the purveyor of extraordinary jazz but is also famous as an arbiter of cool. According to wikipedia, after working in new york in the. A beautifully produced book showcasing the creative work of reid miles and francis.
Apr 25, 2019 the pictures proved to be a boon when longplaying records were developed because now there were lp jackets to be decorated for marketing. My only complaint is the authors obvious bias against the 70s. According to wikipedia, after working in new york in the early 1950s for john hermansader and esquire magazine, miles was hired in his own right around 1955 by francis wolff of the jazz record label blue note to design album covers when the label began releasing. Recovering and discovering album cover artists and. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1. Reid miles july 4, 1927 february 2, 1993 was an american graphic designer and photographer best known for his work for blue note records in the 1950s and 1960s. A collectors perspective last updated may 24, 2019 the history of blue note records from a record collectors perspective, supplemented with commentary regarding audio quality, a topic on which wiki editors and music journalists alike appear entirely oblivious. Oddly enough, miles wasnt reportedly a huge fan of hardbop, the jazz form that blue notes roster excelled in during his tenure. The blue note design team of francis wolf and reid miles defined much of the. March 12, 2019 in honor of blue note records 80 th anniversary, the legendary jazz label is launching the blue note 80 vinyl reissue series. A true lost art form see more ideas about blue note jazz, album covers and cover. Reid miles was born in chicago on 4 july 1927 but, following the stock market crash and the separation of his parents, moved with his mother to long beach, california in 1929. Most if not all of this art was hand made by major graphic artists like reid miles of blue note, bob ciano of cti, margo guryan of impulse.
These are recordings made after davis left prestige, but not including the 19491950 sessions later released as the classic 1957 album birth of the cool. Blue note records was known for their selection of artists, whom they treated with a surprising amount of respect, rather. Blue note had occasional hits but flourished through its reputation for treating musicians with respect and for designer reid miles s eradefining sleeves, which are deftly animated for swiss. During the labels heyday in the 1950s and 60s blue note records had a distinctive sound and an equally distinctive look, thanks to wolffs exceptional photography and. Please refer to fred cohens book documenting blue note original pressings. Apr 27, 2018 how many music labels can honestly claim to be more than just a label, but an actual brand. In the book the cover art of blue note records felix cromey wrote miles made the cover sound like it knew what it lay in store for the listener. Reid miles july 4, 1927 february 2, 1993 was an american graphic designer and photographer best known for his work for blue note records in the 1950s. Established in 1939 by alfred lion and max margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. He had an instant with a preoccupied musician to create a magnificent portrait. At blue note recording sessions in the 50s and 60s, francis wolff was building an archive of great photographic value and a visual documentation of jazz history unmatched at any other record company. Here is the detailed history of the label from the beginning days in 1939 when two german immigrants, alfred lion and francis wolff, began recording and releasing the hot jazz that they loved.
Reid miles went off into photography and television, several hundred covers on from the time when art blakey, horace silver and all the others were just starting to create a canon of modern music, album by album. Reid miles was an american modernist designer, a genius of his time, best known for his work for blue note records through the 1950s and. The established jazz aficionado can conceivably calibrate an existing collection by the percentage of blue note records within it, while the curious novice fan could easily amass an estimable compendium simply by following this chronology of notable characters, including but certainly not limited to, miles davis and those many significant. Reid miles inventive use of type, moody photography and a minimalist color palette helped blue note establish itself as the hippest of all jazz labels blue note recordings. Rvg and ear stamps and as all of the lex ave copies a framed cover is required to make this a 1st pressing. Photographer francis wolff captured the musicians and reid miles the graphic design, creating iconic cover art which remains an important part of the interest of collectors. Think blue note records, one of the greatest jazz labels of all time, and youll no doubt think of reid miles and the stunning, modernist artwork. Recovering and discovering album cover artists and photographers. Uncompromising expression is a magnificent book, beautifully designed and very much in the blue note tradition of strong, arresting graphics. Originally dedicated to recording traditional jazz and small group swing, the label switched its attention to modern jazz around 1947. The other week i blogged about vintage jazz album covers and today i wanted to share a second round of favorites from this period. Blue note jazz photography of francis wolff by francis. He has coauthored and art directed numerous books, including blue note and.
Apr 23, 2018 think blue note records, one of the greatest jazz labels of all time, and youll no doubt think of reid miles and the stunning, modernist artwork he created for them in the 1950s and 1960s, often. Shop exclusive music and apparel from the official blue note records store. Recording engineer rudy van gelder rvg recorded most blue note releases, from 1953 until the. Theres lots of great stuff in the book, its brilliant, it is a beautiful thing. In 1958, after blue note changed the numbering on their albums from 1500 to 4000, reid miles continued to design most of its albums util 1967 creating many of his masterpieces. He is the coauthor of the books above and contributes to.
In 1956, frank wolffs superb prints became the blue note trademark as master graphic designer reid miles incorporated them into album cover designs. Starting in 2014, blue note embarked on a 75th anniversary vinyl initiative to reissue 100 classic titles on vinyl. According to wikipedia, after working in new york in the early 1950s for john hermansader and esquire magazine, miles was hired in his. Album cover art gathers nearly 400 of the legendary covers, spanning the 40s to the 70s, and features the greatest. Blue note records is an american jazz record label owned by universal music group and operated under capitol music group. A key element of many of miles designs was label cofounder francis wolffs photography. Reid miles was an american modernist designer, a genius of his time, best known for his work for blue note records through the 1950s and 60s. Examples of fonts in use tagged with blue note records. The red counts loving the blue note sounds of rudy van. The history of blue note records from a record collectors perspective. Dec 11, 2012 anything blue note love the classic design work color, lines, photography. Blue note label guide the jazz record explorations. Excellent history of blue note records from its earliest years, the author mostly writes about what matters, the music.
This is the discography of blue note records, the american jazz record label. Most of the records were studio recordings produced by alfred lion or francis wolff. Jun 14, 2019 they ventured into swing in the 1940s but really made their mark with the coming of bebop. Jan 04, 2019 blue note 80 vinyl reissue series curated by don was and cem kurosman, with albums grouped by themes. Established in 1939 by berlinborn alfred lion, blue note was an american label founded on love for an american art form. There were also some other notable designers involved in the blue note production, including andy warhol, harold feinstein and tom hannan. The cropping, the elegant light and a monochromatic blue help capture the expression of. The germanbased company, which has retail outlets here in america, has just come out with an absolutely stupendous 2volume set of album cover art for jazz lps spanning 50 years.
At once a kind of steward station, hooking listeners up with recordings that change their lives, and a beacon pointing out where to locate sounds that recalibrate jazzs possibilities, the label has always been a. Reid miles was born in chicago on the 4th of july 1927. Blue note announces 36 albums in new reissue series, blue note 80. The pictures proved to be a boon when longplaying records were developed because now there were lp jackets to be decorated for marketing. Many of these album covers were designed by reid miles for blue note records. Blue note records was known for their selection of artists, whom they treated with a surprising amount of respect, rather than imposing upon. Celebrating international jazz day with reid miles blue note.
Yes, blue note records went into decline after the retirement of alfred lion. Look at these designs and enjoy their exuberant sense of play and sheer graphic brilliance. During this period he designed almost 500 record covers for the label. The releases are allanalog whenever an analog source is available with. Iconic jazz imprint blue note is launching a new, yearlong reissue series called blue note 80 this spring read more. Buy the cover art of blue note records 1st edition by marsh, graham. His ability to light, frame and capture a shot was astonishing. Blue note announces 36 albums in new reissue series, blue. They ventured into swing in the 1940s but really made their mark with the coming of bebop. Reid miles was born in chicago, illinois, on july 4, 1927 but, following the stock market crash and the separation of his parents. Blue note records came to an end, in spirit if not quite in name, when alfred lion sold the label to liberty in 1966. Blue note 80 vinyl reissue series curated by don was and cem kurosman, with albums grouped by themes.
Blue note records, that scrappy little label founded by two german immigrants in 1939, is one of the few. This book filled that gap very well, going into nice detail about the earlier recording sessions and how blue note slowly moved away from new orleansstyle jazz to the bebop and hard bop of the new york scene. A series of midpriced 180g vinyl releases in standard packaging curated by don was and cem kurosman with albums grouped by themes. Under reid miles, the labels sleeves formed a cornerstone of the graphic design canon. Here, instead, we get recordings that were initially released as 10 lps titled.
Blue note label guide the jazz record explorations into. He was working for esquire magazine when he did his debut for blue note, as co. Nduduzo makhathini modes of communication letters from the underworlds. The cropping, the elegant light and a monochromatic blue help capture the expression of the music in mitchells taut hands. He did blue note covers all the way up to the time they sold the company to liberty, which was in 66. I dont know how many times ive been marveling over the covers of blue note records they never fail to fascinate me.
Posted on february 28, 2019 february 28, 2019 leave a comment on reid miles legendary blue note designer i called him morgan i just watched this haunting jazz documentary about lee morgan and what led to the tragic death of the 33 year old trumpet genius. In the us, artists such as alex steinweiss and jim flora at columbia records, fran scott at impulse records, reid miles at blue note records, as well as alvin lustig, andy warhol, ben shahn, and bob cato contributed to the early art of album cover design. Working with music matters is an opportunity to serve the amazing legacy of reid miles and francis wolff with fresh and distinctive covers that maintain and develop the integrity, style, and attention to detail synonymous with the best of blue note records into the 21st century. In certain cases, the stereo versions of recordings from 1957 onwards only appeared many years later. Original label blue note records 767 lexington ave n. Yet for all its musical importance, blue note was equally significant in terms of design. A series of midpriced 180g vinyl releases in standard packaging curated by don was and cem kurosman with albums presented by themes. Reid miles went off into photography and television, several hundred covers on from the time when art blakey, horace silver and all the others were just starting to. Blue note debuts, blue grooves, great reid miles covers, blue note live, and blue note drummer leaders. Is it possible to be a fan of jazz and not be a fan of blue note records.
Reid miles was a classical music fan but his genius for design has done so much to establish the blue note legacy. Beginning in 1956 with blp 1509, reid miles designed most of the blue note lp covers. Blue note celebrates 80th anniversary with vinyl reissues. A book, which is as handsome as a blue note record. Nov 01, 2017 in the us, artists such as alex steinweiss and jim flora at columbia records, fran scott at impulse records, reid miles at blue note records, as well as alvin lustig, andy warhol, ben shahn, and bob cato contributed to the early art of album cover design. Identified by the 20xx blue note records along outer edge on right side of label and 150 5th avenue address on back cover.
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