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Thelonious Monk
Genius of Modern Music Vol. 1
Blue Note 5002
1951
Design: Paul Bacon
Photography: Francis Wolff
An early example of Swiss Style in American album art. Text plays a dominant role. Illustrations, popular in Early Modern American design, have been replaced by photography.
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Fats Navarro
Memorial Album
Blue Note 5004
1951
Design: Paul Bacon
Photography: Francis Wolff
The illustration of the trumpet and the cutout shapes are more typical of Early Modern American design than Swiss Style.
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Howard McGhee’s All-Stars
Blue Note 5012
1952
Design: Paul Bacon
The horns serve as another example of Paul Bacon working in the Early Modern American style, and the cursive script is reminiscent of Paul Rand.
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Gil Mellé Quintet/Sextet
Blue Note 5020
1953
Design: Gil Mellé
The triangles, dotted lines, circles, and star-shaped designs all point to designer Mellé thinking in the Early Modern tradition like Bacon. However, the clever fusing of a photo of the bandleader (also Mellé) within a pattern of concentric circles is reminiscent of the Bauhaus and Swiss schools. Not the most effective choice of typeface for the title in my opinion.
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Miles Davis Vol. 2
Blue Note 5022
1953
Design: John Hermansader
Photography: Francis Wolff
My favorite part of this cover is the way the fonts are playfully positioned to imitate sound being propelled from the bell of a horn.
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Elmo Hope Trio
Blue Note 5029
1954
Design: John Hermansader
Photography: Francis Wolff
Here we have a beautiful shade of sea foam green alongside some hand-drawn bowtie shapes — both very typical of Early Modern design, though the incorporation of photography points to a Bauhaus/Swiss influence.
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George Wallington
Showcase
Blue Note 5045
1954
Design: John Hermansader
Photography: Francis Wolff
The abstract illustration on this cover falls squarely within the Early Modern tradition. A young, buzz-cut Wallington looks incredibly cool taking a puff of his cigarette.
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The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Vol. 2
Blue Note 5057
1954
Design: John Hermansader
Photography: Francis Wolff
The fun, attractive cursive used for the words “The Eminent” and the cutout of the trombone both have an illustrated feel and are typical of the Early Modern period.
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