Episode 44: The Beat Era: John Hermansader and Two Iconic Jazz Album Designs
The jazz label Blue Note Records existed before Reid Miles was hired, so we talk about the guy who set the stage for him: John Hermansader. Once we’ve set the scene, we jaw about a couple of our favorite albums from artists Horace Parlan and Jackie McLean. Who was in charge of designing them? Why did they make the creative choices they did? And, perhaps most importantly, does each album’s look do a good job of translating sound into visuals?
E X T R A S :
(Top to bottom): Album art for Horace Parlan’s “Happy Frame of Mind,” designed by Reid Miles; photo of Horace Parlan; Album art for Jackie McLean’s “Destination… Out!,” designed by Larry Miller; photo of Jackie McLean
(Top to bottom): Two albums designed by John Hermansader for Blue Note Records
More About Blue Note Records
“Blue Note Records: A Short History of a Jazz Institution” (“U Discover Music” article)
“Blue Note Records Turns 80 Years Old Today” (JazzTimes article from 2019)
Blue Note Records history (Wikipedia article)
Album Art
“The 100 Greatest Jazz Album Covers” (according to this “U Discover Music” article)
John Hermansader
John Hermansader biography (“A Modernist” article)
John Hermansader biography (Playbill article)
Listen to “Happy Frame of Mind” by Horace Parlan
Full album (YouTube video)
Full album (Spotify)
Listen to “Destination… Out!” by Jackie MacLean
Full album (YouTube video)
Full album (Spotify)