Blue Note Records
the art of creating a visual representation for a sound
The name Blue Note Records may not immediately strike a chord with most people, but the imagery that has been created under the record label has become timeless and universally recognized. High contrast with a touch of color made Blue Note record covers timeless pieces of art.
Blue Note was founded in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrant Alfred Lion and Max Margulis (a communist writer who helped fund the label). Blue Note’s reputation was cemented among musicians as treating them better than other labels at the time, and collaborating with artists, which was uncommon at the time.
A major piece of the Blue Note record cover look came to be when photographer Francis Wolff emigrated to the United States at the end of 1939 and reconnected with his childhood friend, Alfred Lion. Francis Wolff stayed on at the label initially to help keep it running while Alfred Lion was away, after having been drafted. By the end of 1943 Lion was back and the label was back to recording new albums.
In 1956, hired Reid Miles, a graphic designer originally from Long Beach, California, to produce album cover art for the label. Reid Miles admittedly had very little interest in Jazz, and was more interested in classical music. Because of this he would use description of the sessions from Lion and photos of the sessions from Wolff to help inspire the cover art. Reid then began to incorporate many of Wolff’s recording session photos into the covers themselves. Consumers of the albums were now seeing the emotion put into the albums, and not just a staged head shot.
Reid Miles album designs were understated and bold at the same time; a truly timeless artist, creating truly timeless works. He took inspiration from the Bauhaus school of design. His use of minimalist color schemes and functional shapes were a staple on Blue Note Record covers.
In 1967 Alfred Lion retired from Blue Note after the label was sold to Liberty Records. Reid Miles took this as a sign for him to leave as well. Francis Wolff would stay at the label until his death in 1971.
