I don't know, consider the context of the time. Record labels, Blue Note especially, were putting out albums to the masses with beautiful African American women on the covers amidst horrendous racial discrimination and often much worse. Representation matters. It's not like they were all distasteful and done for pure titillation like that one cover of the gal over the shower door. I like experiencing albums, album covers and the like as a snapshot in time, revealing something about our past through art.
A mid-60’s Wayne Shorter triple-bill on deck this morning—not all Tone Poets, I know. The All-Seeing Eye is a perfect candidate though! Wednesday Wayne #1 — a favourite Blue Note Tone Poet release from last year recorded in 1965 but shelved until 1980 (?!) . . . 1965/1980/2019 Blue Note – 33581 Blue Note Tone Poet Series – KPG@CA Wednesday Wayne #2 — this one needs a new reissue. The line-up on this session is insane! Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet, flugelhorn), Grachan Moncur III (trombone), James Spaulding (alto saxophone), Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Joe Chambers (drums) and Alan Shorter (flugelhorn) . . . 1966/1994 Blue Note – 29100 Blue Note Connoisseur Series – Wally/Capitol Wednesday Wayne #3 — superb SRX pressing from Music Matters, includes the excellent title track and the classic Footprints, which was later recorded by Miles’ 2nd Great Quintet for Miles Smiles . . . 1966/2019 (SRX) Music Matters Ltd. – MMBST-84232, Blue Note – ST-84232 Blue Note The Definitive Vinyl Reissue Series – KPG&RR@CA
@btf1980 hipped me to the photographer of so many of those Blue Note covers, Kwame Brathwaite. As you note, his work was very much about representation of black women and situated in the “black is beautiful” movement. Kwame Brathwaite Shows ‘Black Is Beautiful’ At Columbia Museum Of Art
I didn't know that. Cheers! I'm fascinated by the embrace of the African aesthetic of the 60's and 70's and how it influenced fashion and art. It's cool to see a mass of people, once suppressed, feel a freedom in their expression.
Agree 100% on this one! One of my favorite Shorters and I would love to see it get the Tone Poet or similar treatment. How is the Connoisseur pressing? I have a King and an NY label. The King is perfectly quiet but very polite and the NY is not in the best of shape but has more depth. So my search continues.
I’d snap up a Tone Poet edition as it’s a favourite of mine, too. The Connoisseur pressing is excellent but I have no other to compare it to. I got lucky and found it in immaculate condition.
I asked JH about this title on Instagam. From his response, didn't seem like it was imminent, but something he was perhaps interested in getting to in the long term.
I did ask and encourage more WS but that did not receive a response Being a random Instagram user I did not expect much, as you say someone like @scotti may have more insight Of course I suggested Ornette, Cherry, Cecil as well We shall see.
Dang, how does the MM Adam's Apple sound? I may have to settle for a Japenese King based on the price.
Agreed on it being a snapshot in time. That doesn't make it tasteful IMHO. It's not a record jacket I'd really want sitting in my Now Playing space.
I greatly regret skipping that one. Before the 2019s were released and the 45 was sold out, so I went with a BN75. It’s fine. Drums sure aren’t very exciting on that opener like I’d hope. When the SRXs were announced I felt, ah i just bought a cheap copy, I can get a bunch of others and circle back later. Dumb ass.
A random guy on a record cover from the 60s isn't there because the marketing dept thought he was cute.
this is all reminding me of the miles davis quote about the dumb cover of "miles ahead": Miles reportedly was unhappy about the album's original cover, which featured a photograph of a young white woman and child aboard a sailboat. He made his displeasure known to Columbia executive George Avakian, asking, "Why'd you put that white b**** on there?" Avakian later stated that the question was made in jest. For later releases of the record, however, the original cover-photo has been substituted by a photograph of Miles Davis.
I think we'd all like a time machine to go back and pick up any MMJ titles when they first came into print.
Yep, that was exactly the first thing that popped into my head. It took somebody with Miles's clout to get his wife- who has model looks- on the front of his cover. Heck, it took him to raise stink just to get himself on a cover.
Sorry, poorly written- antecedents and all. I meant the tastefulness and snapshot of random African American women on Blue Note covers, not the shower gal- that one is cringeworthy.
Ok just to clarify my post, I thought we were talking about the Blue Note covers as well. Agreed on the shower gal.
Adam's Apple is a sentimental favorite of mine, it was an album early in my Blue Note journey, and I discovered while house sitting in Montreal with my first true love back in university days. There was a small collection of vinyl we would listen to during dinner, and while I knew some jazz at the time, this knocked me off my feet. (so did she) I only purchased a CD of the album, this around 1990, and didn't get a good vinyl copy until I finally caved years later and bought the 2x45 MMJ (not being a huge fan of flipping sides, but limited other options) So the SRX was an instant buy for me when it came out.
Yes. Contextually, it was part of the music and cannot really be looked at outside of the lens of the musicians themselves. The context being that Black musicians wanted their covers to reflect the music they were making. So if Horace Silver does a record called 'Serenade to a Soul Sister', then it would make sense to have a 'soul sister' on the cover. Black models were marginalized at the time and were not given work. Paid opportunities were few and far between. Kwame's modeling agency fixed that and Blue Note gave their artists creative control for these covers. If a record cover was going to feature a model, jazz labels usually put white women on the covers by default, without the input of the artists. Even someone like Miles Davis was not immune. His 'Miles Ahead' record initially had a white woman on a sailboat and he wasn't thrilled with that decision. Later issues of the record have a photo of Miles instead. Going forward, Miles put his wives on several album covers like Someday My Prince Will Come, E.S.P., Sorcerer, and Filles de Kilimanjaro. Miles had the stature to pull that. Most Black musicians did not have that level of clout. What Blue Note did at the time was revolutionary and they were the only jazz label to do this. Additionally, Kwame and his brother were friends with the musicians. It should be noted that Kwame was a very accomplished photographer focusing on photojournalism and music. He wasn't just some random guy with a camera. He took photos of many of the jazz greats from Miles, Coltrane, Cannonball, Max Roach, and many more. He also took photos of top stars in other genres of music like Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, and James Brown among others. Kwame's story is very interesting. He and his brother pretty much pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and put in the work, making an entire industry out of nothing and did their part to propel a social movement. I recommend the Kwame's photo book "Black is Beautiful". It features his shots, including some of those of jazz musicians.