January 16, 2019
In honor of Blue Note Records’ 80th Anniversary in 2019, the legendary Jazz label has launched a new series of limited-edition wall art that celebrates the iconic imagery of Blue Note’s classic era. For the first time ever, Blue Note is offering archival-quality, framed canvas prints in dynamic scale (22”x22”, 32”x32”, 42”x42”) that present the legendary album cover designs of Reid Miles and photography of Francis Wolff. 12 album covers are currently available in the Blue Note Store, with additional prints to be made available later this year.
Available Now:
- Art Blakey – Free for All
- Dexter Gordon – Gettin’ Around
- Dexter Gordon – GO
- Eric Dolphy – Out to Lunch
- Freddie Hubbard – Hub-Tones
- Grant Green – Green Street
- Hank Mobley – No Room for Squares
- Kenny Burrell – Midnight Blue
- Kenny Dorham – Afro-Cuban
- Lee Morgan – The Sidewinder
- Sonny Clark – Cool Struttin’
- Thelonious Monk – Genius of Modern Music: Vol. 2
With the exception of the 10” cover for Thelonious Monk’s Genius of Modern Music: Vol. 2 (which was designed by Paul Bacon), the wall art series features the widely influential cover designs of Reid Miles. When Blue Note moved to the 12” LP format in 1955, Francis Wolff (who had been photographing sessions since he arrived in NYC to join label found Alfred Lion in the early 1940s) brought in Miles to begin adapting Blue Note albums to the new larger format. Over the next 12 years Miles revolutionized album cover design with his bold typography and creative use of Wolff’s photographs, creating about 500 stunning covers that brilliantly captured the sound of Blue Note Records in visual form. Watch the Vox video feature “The Greatest Album Covers of Jazz” which explores the genius of Reid Miles.
