If you stepped into a record store in the 1950s and 60s, you would likely be drawn almost immediately to a Blue Note release-whether or not you were a fan of jazz or had heard of the artist or even the label.
If you went to those record stores, it probably wasn't the sound of Blue Note that immediately caught your attention. It was their album covers.
Now those designs are hallowed jazz iconography, with their "bold typography, two tone photography, and minimal graphic design." Of course, it should go without saying that the sound of Blue Note is as distinctive and essential as its look, thanks to its founders' musical vision, the faultless ear of producer and engineer Rudy Van Gelder, and the roster of unbelievably great musicians the label recruited and recorded.
But back to those covers....
Their bold use of color, intimate photography, and meticulously placed typography came to define the look of jazz in the hard bop era, and thus, defined the look of cool, a "refined sophistication" vibrating with restless, sultry, smoky, classy, moody energy.
The rat pack had nothing on Blue Note. Their covers have today become an epitome of graphic hip and are no more than the visible manifestation of an organic whole.
Flip over any one of those beautifully designed Blue Note records from, say, 1955 to 65, the label's peak years, and you'll find two names credited for almost all of their designs: photographer Francis Wolff and graphic designer Reid Miles.
They created almost every Blue Note cover from "the minute they arrived."
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Mike Overly's
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When I travel to Colorado for the Guitar Town Festival at Copper Mountain, I always add a day or two of site seeing to places like Boulder, Vail, Estes Park, and Aspen. This year, I found something new in Aspen, a D'Angelico guitar shop. The shop has been open for less than a year, but it has the look of a well established gallery. The shop has the largest display of D'Angelico guitars in the world.
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IN THE BASSment
Not much to say. Take a look and see if you agree...
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"Written for the guitarist who has been playing for a while, but is seriously hampered by the feeling that they don't know what they're doing.
Guitar EncycloMedia
provides the perfect solution to this problem by efficiently presenting the theoretical basis of music in a way that is clear, easily applied, and does not require the reading of staff notes or TAB." - Randy Roos, Associate Professor of Guitar, Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA.
"
Bass EncycloMedia
is filled with practical and highly musical techniques and information that will benefit bass players of any style and ability level, especially those who have passed beyond the 'beginner' stage. This is a great addition to the library of every bass player. I am very impressed! " - Dr. Robert Cutietta, Dean of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California.
Dramatically improve your playing by easily learning all the chords, scales, arpeggios and modes necessary to improvise something uniquely different every time with every song. With over 323 pages,
Guitar EncycloMedia and Bass EncycloMedia
offer total fretboard knowledge in one book. They are as essential as your instrument!
Order
Guitar EncycloMedia or
Bass EncycloMedia now through
December 4, 2018 to receive
FREE SHIPPING. Only available from the 12 Tone Music
store. No coupon code needed. Domestic orders only.
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WATCH THIS
Together with Marcus Spangler (Warwick's Head of Research & Design), Joe Hubbard created the latest addition to his personal collection of exquisite Warwick Custom Shop basses. On the basis of the Warwick model "Fortress", a tailor-made instrument on premium quality level was developed in the German custom shop factory, which corresponds to Joe's individual preferences to the finest detail.
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LEARN HERE
Here is the best way to fix a worn-out strap button hole ~ solder!
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GREAT GEAR
The Gypsy Queen range grew out of Teye's research into the magic of Jimi Hendrix's flipped-over Strat. The two-humbucker Queen on review here obviously diverges from Strattiness, but it benefits from the headstock design (and the extended upper horn) for a super-resonant, grand piano-like clang when played unplugged.
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ARTIST AWARENESS
Bassist and composer Adi Meyerson is proud to announce the June 5threlease of her debut album Where We Stand. Through her dynamic music, Meyerson displays particular moments, although unpredictable and ambivalent, can sometimes also carry a feeling of excitement and anticipation. For Meyerson, the album title feels relevant to her, both as an individual and as a part of the current social climate we all live in today.
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