Blue Note album covers have always been considered among the finest examples of commercial art design. They were mostly the work of one man, Reid Miles, whose genius lay in the way he arranged and formatted the candid pictures of photographer Francis Wolff on the 10- and 12-inch record covers that formed his canvases. Using contemporary fonts, striking colors, and attention-grabbing slashes, Reid created a new vocabulary of album art. Featuring a well-chosen cross section of Reid's work, the generously proportioned BLUE NOTE: THE ALBUM COVER ART harks back to the pre-digital days of two-sided vinyl albums and typefaces that could be read without the aid of a microscope. Memorable images predominate: a young Dexter Gordon, the epitome of cool in a tab collar shirt, ruminates soulfully, cigarette held casually between his immaculately manicured fingers; the Ornette Coleman Trio huddle together against the stark background of a snow-covered park in Stockholm; and a woman's shapely calves sexily decorate the album cover to Sonny Clark's COOL STRUTTIN' album. With a foreword by the great pianist Horace Silver, BLUE NOTE is a fascinating tour through the wonder years of jazz album design.

The album covers collected in this volume reveal the stylistically influential cover art by Reid Miles for the legendary jazz label, Blue Note. With over 380 color photographs, Blue Note captures the heart and soul of this musical genre while showcasing an impressive array of artists and performers, including Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, and Art Blakey.

The album covers collected in this volume reveal the stylistically influential cover art by Reid Miles for the legendary jazz label, Blue Note. With over 380 color photographs, Blue Note captures the heart and soul of this musical genre while showcasing an impressive array of artists and performers, including Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, and Art Blakey.