Part design history, part trip down musical memory lane, this anthology of jazz album artwork is above all a treasure trove of creative and cultural inspiration. Spanning half a century, it assembles the most daring and dynamic jazz cover designs that helped make and shape not only a musical genre but also a particular way of experiencing life.

From the 1940s through to the decline of LP production in the early 1990s, each chosen cover design is distinct in the way it complements the energy of the albums music with its own visual rhythms of frame, line, text and form. To satisfy even the most demanding of music geeks, each record cover is accompanied by a fact sheet listing performer and album name, art director, photographer, illustrator, year, label and more.

Theauthor

Joaquim Paulois a consultant for major labels and directs a number of radio stations in Portugal. He started collecting vinyl at 15 and flies to London, Paris, New York and So Paulo to enrich his collection of over 25,000 LPs. He lives and works in Lisbon and dedicates his free time to recovering old and rare recordings.

The editor

Julius Wiedemannstudied graphic design and marketing and was an art editor for newspapers and design magazines in Tokyo before joining TASCHEN in 2001. His titles include theIllustration Now!andRecord Coversseries, as well as the infographics collection and books about advertising and visual culture.

Hardcover, 11.5 x 11.5 in., 9.27 lb, 552 pages