Freedom, Rhythm & Sound

by the bPm on June 24, 2009

Revolutionary Jazz Cover Art 1960 -78…

Freedom book cover newx

The momentum of the 1960s civil rights movement and the explosion of Rock music and the underground press in that decade impacted Jazz in amazing ways, both musically and culturally. Years before Punk, musicians like John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra, Don Cherry, The Art Ensemble of Chicago and others took control of their work by recording, releasing and distributing their music themselves, often in runs as low as 500 copies. As a result, Jazz music got a whole new look.

The record sleeves of this era (roughly 1965-1979) are as iconic and historically unique as the music itself, which, in the wake of innovations by Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor, boldly abandoned tonal anchors for the wilder shores of improvisation, incorporating Gospel, Asian, Rock and electronic influences. Soul Jazz Records has issued many releases relating to this music, and Freedom, Rhythm and Sound is the first ever collection of this fascinating goldmine of album art, which represents the first wave of inspired independent production within popular music.

The book provides a large introduction contextualizing the music and artwork, as well as interviews with many of the people involved. Alongside the musicians mentioned above, these include Kelan Phil Cohran, Charles Tyler, Steve Reid, Mary Lou Williams, Horace Tapscott, Lloyd McNeil, Phil Ranelin, Marcus Belgrave, Paris Smith, Jayne Cortez, Joe McPhee, Weldon Irvine, Shamek Farrah, Cecil McBee, Stanley Cowell, Tribe, The Last Poets, The Pharoahs and many others. 30 years on, their works are exemplary in their untamed DIY energy and graphic boldness.

Coming soon from Soul Jazz

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

glass bubbler reviews June 30, 2009 at 7:09 pm

Yes he is now a legend……..Nice picture collections

mini bubblers June 30, 2009 at 7:38 pm

Yes that is what I am looking for . I think 1965-1979 this is the era of golden peoples

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: