Jazz
10 cover stories
Jazz album art is where photography, graphic design, and music first intersected as high art. Reid Miles at Blue Note Records invented a visual language — bold typography, high-contrast photography — that remains influential sixty years later.
All Jazz album covers
To Pimp a Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar · 2015
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys · 1994
The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest · 1991
Head Hunters
Herbie Hancock · 1973
Village of the Pharoahs
Pharoah Sanders · 1973
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis · 1970
A Love Supreme
John Coltrane · 1965
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet · 1959
Blue Train
John Coltrane · 1958
In the Wee Small Hours
Frank Sinatra · 1955
Frequently asked questions
- What defines Jazz album cover art?
- Jazz album art is where photography, graphic design, and music first intersected as high art. Reid Miles at Blue Note Records invented a visual language — bold typography, high-contrast photography — that remains influential sixty years later.
- What are some of the most iconic Jazz album covers?
- Notable covers featured on Behind the Covers include To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar, Ill Communication by Beastie Boys, The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest, Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock, and Village of the Pharoahs by Pharoah Sanders.
- How many Jazz album covers does Behind the Covers feature?
- Behind the Covers features 10 Jazz cover stories spanning 1955–2015, with cover art by designers including Vlad Sepetov, Gibran Evans, and Zombart International.