Overview

WAIL is the first book devoted exclusively to the pioneering album cover designers of Prestige Records, home to such musical giants as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins. Unprecedented in detail, WAIL documents a vital decade (1949-1960) of creative brilliance. An independent New York City label founded in 1949, Prestige chronicled the vibrant modern jazz scene of the 1950s. At Prestige, the alliance of postwar jazz and modern art found its deepest and most enduring expression. Inspired by some of the most significant music ever recorded, Prestige album covers provide a compelling panorama of midcentury graphic design. WAIL introduces the graphic designers, photographers, and illustrators who established a visual language for modern jazz. The book is comprised of meticulously photographed album covers, artifacts, and ephemera, as well as profiles of each of the major Prestige figures. Exclusive firsthand interviews and estate materials provide cultural context and singular insight into the creative process. Unseen sketches, personal photographs, and outtakes from album cover shoots impart a vivid picture of art and jazz in mid-1950s New York. Above all, WAIL is a story of creative triumph. Drawn from a wealth of previously unpublished material, the book is an inspirational record of landmark graphic design.

Full Product Details

Author:   Mark Havens ,  Chris Entwisle
Publisher:   RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press
Imprint:   RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press
Weight:   1.814kg
ISBN:  

9781939125910

ISBN 10:   193912591
Pages:   360
Publication Date:   18 November 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Language:   English

Table of Contents

Foreword VII Sonny Rollins The Little Record Company That Could IX Steven Heller Radical Design at Midcentury: Prestige Records 1949-1960 XV Bob Weinstock 1 Founder, Producer, Photographer Ira Gitler 11 Producer, Writer Primitive Modern: The Seven- and Ten-Inch Era 23 Don Schlitten 41 Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Photographer, Producer David X Young 67 Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Photographer Evolution: The Twelve Inch Era 103 Bob Parent 119 Graphic Designer, Photographer Tom Hannan 147 Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Photographer Scott Hyde 195 Photographer Reid Miles 209 Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Photographer Esmond Edwards 265 Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Photographer, Producer Epilogue 323 Out of the Shadows 325 Hollis King Appendix 1: Status Records 328 Appendix 2: Redesigned Covers 332 Notes 336 Further Reading 336 Credits 337 Cover Image Index 338

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Author Information

Mark Havens is an artist and educator as well as a professor at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Out of Season. Chris Entwisle is an artist and illustrator.

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