{"id":4447505317967,"title":"The Art of Jazz","handle":"the-art-of-jazz","description":"\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/alyn-shipton\"\u003eAlyn Shipton\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Foreword by: John Edward Hasse\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eExplore the influence of jazz on the pictorial arts!\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJazz: energetic, spontaneous, vital. For over a century, this powerful musical style has been synonymous with innovation. It has also inspired sheet music, album art, concert posters, promotional photography, and many standalone works of fine art, leaving an indelible mark on visual arts as a whole. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach chapter in this vivid, compelling collection covers a key period in jazz history. From the earliest days of the twentieth century to the world of postmodern jazz today, \u003cem\u003eThe Art of Jazz\u003c\/em\u003e presents over 300 images and a suite of authoritative essays on jazz imagery. Perfect for music lovers, art history buffs, students of design, and anyone whose coffee table needs a little jazzing up. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.publishersweekly.com\/pw\/podcasts\/index.html?podcast=1094\u0026amp;channel=7\"\u003eListen to Alyn Shipton\u003c\/a\u003e on \u003ci\u003ePublisher Weekly's\u003c\/i\u003e podcast, LitCast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.imaginebooks.net\/products\/peter-paul-and-mary-fifty-years-in-music-and-life\"\u003ePeter, Paul \u0026amp; Mary: Fifty Years in Music and Life\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/woodstock\"\u003eWoodstock: 50 Years of Peace and Music\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/the-art-of-protest\"\u003eThe Art of Protest: A Visual History of Dissent and Resistance\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e [TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eWatch the Trailer\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GggRQFEXZyI\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"The Art of Jazz book cover\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/art-of-jazz-cover.jpg?v=1578588717\" style=\"display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/art-of-jazz-cover-hires.zip?4160\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/artofjazzflier-final.pdf?4161\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Flyer\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlyn Shipton, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlyn Shipton is an award-winning author and broadcaster who presents jazz programs for BBC radio and was the jazz critic of the \u003cem\u003eTimes\u003c\/em\u003e in London for over twenty years. He is currently a jazz research fellow at the Royal Academy of Music in London and lives in Oxford, UK. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/alyn-shipton\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Alyn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComing soon!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMusician Shipton gathers over 300 colorful images of jazz paintings, studio photos, record covers, and posters in this vibrant illustrated history. John Edward Hasse, a curator at the Smithsonian Institution Museum of American History, writes in the introduction: “Jazz appears most directly to the ear but also engages the eye. Yet the visual dimension of jazz is often overlooked.” A detailed summary of early jazz follows—from the brass bands of New Orleans and Louis Armstrong to Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, and Jelly Roll Morton—supported by a collection of eye-popping photos (a soft-focus head shot of Peggy Lee in 1947; Count Basie’s orchestra squeezed together onstage at New York City’s Famous Door jazz club in 1938) and artwork (such as Street Musicians, by Harlem-born abstract expressionist painter Norman Lewis). Meanwhile, noted illustrators, designers, and graphic artists such as Andy Warhol (who designed the cover of RCA’s 1955 album Count Basie), Verve Records’ David Stone Martin, and Blue Note’s Reid Miles provided album cover designs for bebop and modern jazz records. Other album cover images include those of the ever-evolving Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, and 21st-century jazz musicians, Kamasi Washington among them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis indispensable work of the genre’s art is perfect for jazz aficionados.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAirmail\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s known for its blue notes, its spontaneity, and its stars, from Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald to Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. Moreover, “if jazz means anything,” wrote Ellington, “it is freedom of expression.” A new book from the writer, broadcaster, and bassist Alyn Shipton collects more than 300 images—“Visualizations of the musicians, their milieu, and their music as metaphor,” writes John Edward Hasse in the foreword—in a vibrant visual history. By the time the word “jazz” made it into The Oxford English Dictionary—and as a supplement, no less, the original 1928 edition having appeared without it—the Jazz Age was in full swing. It left the dictionary in the dust, “creating unforgettable and vivid sonic paintings,” writes Hasse, and encouraging in its musicians “that leeway to experiment, to find and put forward one’s personal voice and style” that made their music so enduring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBooklist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShipton, music historian and jazz radio host with the BBC, offers a fascinating survey of how jazz influenced the art world. As he states in his introduction, “the wider ramifications of jazz . . . as syncopated music . . . rapidly transferred itself into the visual and graphic arts.” The text follows this process by combining a survey of jazz history with a parallel look at artists who illustrated jazz sheet music, posters, and, especially, album covers, and who also incorporated jazz influences into their own paintings and drawings. Modern jazz forms, from bebop through free jazz and fusion, offered the most synchronicity for visual artists, with Picasso, Warhol, Romare Bearden, and Jean-Michel Basquiat among those whose art was used in jazz illustration or who created specific work for album covers. Shipton is also strong on jazz photography, calling out the use of iconic devices like strategically placed microphones and curling cigarette smoke. Far more than a showcase for striking album covers, this is a remarkably insightful analysis of both art and jazz, showing vividly how one form has fed the other.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e \u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-62354-504-8\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePage count: 256\u003cbr\u003eTrim size: 9 3\/4 x 11\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]","published_at":"2020-01-09T11:36:56-05:00","created_at":"2020-01-09T11:36:56-05:00","vendor":"Imagine Publishing","type":"Adult Book","tags":["adult","art\/music\/theater","Browse by Language_English","Browse by Subject_Gift Books","coffee table books","history","imagine"],"price":3500,"price_min":3500,"price_max":3500,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":31674675003471,"title":"Hardcover","option1":"Hardcover","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"45048","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":{"id":14039169138767,"product_id":4447505317967,"position":1,"created_at":"2020-01-09T11:53:30-05:00","updated_at":"2020-04-13T14:49:28-04:00","alt":"The Art of Jazz book cover","width":600,"height":673,"src":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/art-of-jazz-cover.jpg?v=1586803768","variant_ids":[31674675003471]},"available":true,"name":"The Art of Jazz - Hardcover","public_title":"Hardcover","options":["Hardcover"],"price":3500,"weight":318,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_quantity":10,"inventory_management":"shopify","inventory_policy":"continue","barcode":"9781623545048","featured_media":{"alt":"The Art of Jazz book cover","id":6212151246927,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.892,"height":673,"width":600,"src":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/art-of-jazz-cover.jpg?v=1586803768"}},"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/art-of-jazz-cover.jpg?v=1586803768"],"featured_image":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/art-of-jazz-cover.jpg?v=1586803768","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":"The Art of Jazz book cover","id":6212151246927,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.892,"height":673,"width":600,"src":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/art-of-jazz-cover.jpg?v=1586803768"},"aspect_ratio":0.892,"height":673,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/art-of-jazz-cover.jpg?v=1586803768","width":600}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/alyn-shipton\"\u003eAlyn Shipton\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Foreword by: John Edward Hasse\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eExplore the influence of jazz on the pictorial arts!\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJazz: energetic, spontaneous, vital. For over a century, this powerful musical style has been synonymous with innovation. It has also inspired sheet music, album art, concert posters, promotional photography, and many standalone works of fine art, leaving an indelible mark on visual arts as a whole. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach chapter in this vivid, compelling collection covers a key period in jazz history. From the earliest days of the twentieth century to the world of postmodern jazz today, \u003cem\u003eThe Art of Jazz\u003c\/em\u003e presents over 300 images and a suite of authoritative essays on jazz imagery. Perfect for music lovers, art history buffs, students of design, and anyone whose coffee table needs a little jazzing up. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.publishersweekly.com\/pw\/podcasts\/index.html?podcast=1094\u0026amp;channel=7\"\u003eListen to Alyn Shipton\u003c\/a\u003e on \u003ci\u003ePublisher Weekly's\u003c\/i\u003e podcast, LitCast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.imaginebooks.net\/products\/peter-paul-and-mary-fifty-years-in-music-and-life\"\u003ePeter, Paul \u0026amp; Mary: Fifty Years in Music and Life\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/woodstock\"\u003eWoodstock: 50 Years of Peace and Music\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/the-art-of-protest\"\u003eThe Art of Protest: A Visual History of Dissent and Resistance\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e [TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eWatch the Trailer\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GggRQFEXZyI\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"The Art of Jazz book cover\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/art-of-jazz-cover.jpg?v=1578588717\" style=\"display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/art-of-jazz-cover-hires.zip?4160\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/artofjazzflier-final.pdf?4161\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Flyer\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlyn Shipton, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlyn Shipton is an award-winning author and broadcaster who presents jazz programs for BBC radio and was the jazz critic of the \u003cem\u003eTimes\u003c\/em\u003e in London for over twenty years. He is currently a jazz research fellow at the Royal Academy of Music in London and lives in Oxford, UK. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/alyn-shipton\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Alyn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComing soon!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMusician Shipton gathers over 300 colorful images of jazz paintings, studio photos, record covers, and posters in this vibrant illustrated history. John Edward Hasse, a curator at the Smithsonian Institution Museum of American History, writes in the introduction: “Jazz appears most directly to the ear but also engages the eye. Yet the visual dimension of jazz is often overlooked.” A detailed summary of early jazz follows—from the brass bands of New Orleans and Louis Armstrong to Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, and Jelly Roll Morton—supported by a collection of eye-popping photos (a soft-focus head shot of Peggy Lee in 1947; Count Basie’s orchestra squeezed together onstage at New York City’s Famous Door jazz club in 1938) and artwork (such as Street Musicians, by Harlem-born abstract expressionist painter Norman Lewis). Meanwhile, noted illustrators, designers, and graphic artists such as Andy Warhol (who designed the cover of RCA’s 1955 album Count Basie), Verve Records’ David Stone Martin, and Blue Note’s Reid Miles provided album cover designs for bebop and modern jazz records. Other album cover images include those of the ever-evolving Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, and 21st-century jazz musicians, Kamasi Washington among them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis indispensable work of the genre’s art is perfect for jazz aficionados.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAirmail\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s known for its blue notes, its spontaneity, and its stars, from Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald to Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. Moreover, “if jazz means anything,” wrote Ellington, “it is freedom of expression.” A new book from the writer, broadcaster, and bassist Alyn Shipton collects more than 300 images—“Visualizations of the musicians, their milieu, and their music as metaphor,” writes John Edward Hasse in the foreword—in a vibrant visual history. By the time the word “jazz” made it into The Oxford English Dictionary—and as a supplement, no less, the original 1928 edition having appeared without it—the Jazz Age was in full swing. It left the dictionary in the dust, “creating unforgettable and vivid sonic paintings,” writes Hasse, and encouraging in its musicians “that leeway to experiment, to find and put forward one’s personal voice and style” that made their music so enduring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBooklist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShipton, music historian and jazz radio host with the BBC, offers a fascinating survey of how jazz influenced the art world. As he states in his introduction, “the wider ramifications of jazz . . . as syncopated music . . . rapidly transferred itself into the visual and graphic arts.” The text follows this process by combining a survey of jazz history with a parallel look at artists who illustrated jazz sheet music, posters, and, especially, album covers, and who also incorporated jazz influences into their own paintings and drawings. Modern jazz forms, from bebop through free jazz and fusion, offered the most synchronicity for visual artists, with Picasso, Warhol, Romare Bearden, and Jean-Michel Basquiat among those whose art was used in jazz illustration or who created specific work for album covers. Shipton is also strong on jazz photography, calling out the use of iconic devices like strategically placed microphones and curling cigarette smoke. Far more than a showcase for striking album covers, this is a remarkably insightful analysis of both art and jazz, showing vividly how one form has fed the other.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e \u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-62354-504-8\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePage count: 256\u003cbr\u003eTrim size: 9 3\/4 x 11\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]"}

By: Alyn Shipton / Foreword by: John Edward Hasse

Explore the influence of jazz on the pictorial arts!

Jazz: energetic, spontaneous, vital. For over a century, this powerful musical style has been synonymous with innovation. It has also inspired sheet music, album art, concert posters, promotional photography, and many standalone works of fine art, leaving an indelible mark on visual arts as a whole.

Each chapter in this vivid, compelling collection covers a key period in jazz history. From the earliest days of the twentieth century to the world of postmodern jazz today, The Art of Jazz presents over 300 images and a suite of authoritative essays on jazz imagery. Perfect for music lovers, art history buffs, students of design, and anyone whose coffee table needs a little jazzing up.

Listen to Alyn Shipton on Publisher Weekly's podcast, LitCast.

Maximum quantity available reached.

Alyn Shipton, author

Alyn Shipton is an award-winning author and broadcaster who presents jazz programs for BBC radio and was the jazz critic of the Times in London for over twenty years. He is currently a jazz research fellow at the Royal Academy of Music in London and lives in Oxford, UK.

Read more about Alyn.

  • Coming soon!

Publishers Weekly

Musician Shipton gathers over 300 colorful images of jazz paintings, studio photos, record covers, and posters in this vibrant illustrated history. John Edward Hasse, a curator at the Smithsonian Institution Museum of American History, writes in the introduction: “Jazz appears most directly to the ear but also engages the eye. Yet the visual dimension of jazz is often overlooked.” A detailed summary of early jazz follows—from the brass bands of New Orleans and Louis Armstrong to Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, and Jelly Roll Morton—supported by a collection of eye-popping photos (a soft-focus head shot of Peggy Lee in 1947; Count Basie’s orchestra squeezed together onstage at New York City’s Famous Door jazz club in 1938) and artwork (such as Street Musicians, by Harlem-born abstract expressionist painter Norman Lewis). Meanwhile, noted illustrators, designers, and graphic artists such as Andy Warhol (who designed the cover of RCA’s 1955 album Count Basie), Verve Records’ David Stone Martin, and Blue Note’s Reid Miles provided album cover designs for bebop and modern jazz records. Other album cover images include those of the ever-evolving Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, and 21st-century jazz musicians, Kamasi Washington among them.

This indispensable work of the genre’s art is perfect for jazz aficionados.

Airmail

It’s known for its blue notes, its spontaneity, and its stars, from Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald to Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. Moreover, “if jazz means anything,” wrote Ellington, “it is freedom of expression.” A new book from the writer, broadcaster, and bassist Alyn Shipton collects more than 300 images—“Visualizations of the musicians, their milieu, and their music as metaphor,” writes John Edward Hasse in the foreword—in a vibrant visual history. By the time the word “jazz” made it into The Oxford English Dictionary—and as a supplement, no less, the original 1928 edition having appeared without it—the Jazz Age was in full swing. It left the dictionary in the dust, “creating unforgettable and vivid sonic paintings,” writes Hasse, and encouraging in its musicians “that leeway to experiment, to find and put forward one’s personal voice and style” that made their music so enduring.

Booklist

Shipton, music historian and jazz radio host with the BBC, offers a fascinating survey of how jazz influenced the art world. As he states in his introduction, “the wider ramifications of jazz . . . as syncopated music . . . rapidly transferred itself into the visual and graphic arts.” The text follows this process by combining a survey of jazz history with a parallel look at artists who illustrated jazz sheet music, posters, and, especially, album covers, and who also incorporated jazz influences into their own paintings and drawings. Modern jazz forms, from bebop through free jazz and fusion, offered the most synchronicity for visual artists, with Picasso, Warhol, Romare Bearden, and Jean-Michel Basquiat among those whose art was used in jazz illustration or who created specific work for album covers. Shipton is also strong on jazz photography, calling out the use of iconic devices like strategically placed microphones and curling cigarette smoke. Far more than a showcase for striking album covers, this is a remarkably insightful analysis of both art and jazz, showing vividly how one form has fed the other.

Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62354-504-8

Page count: 256
Trim size: 9 3/4 x 11