Cover Stories with Paul Morris, Vol. 12

April 1st, 2015


Paul Morris is a graphic designer and writer who collects album art of the 1940’s and 1950’s. He finds his examples of influential mid-century design in the used record stores of Portland, Oregon.

This edition features the “late Columbia” era of master designer Alex Steinweiss

__________

  Alex Steinweiss, the master, is my focus this time. Imagine a period in the artist’s life in 1950 and 1951 when his time with Columbia Records was drawing to a close. He had started in 1939 and was to leave the company in 1953, after designing a thousand or more album covers. I’ve pulled out a sequence of records, most classical, in order of catalog number, which I presume makes them roughly chronological.

As month followed month, Steinweiss produced cover after cover, maintaining a high level of quality. Always square, always twelve inches, always making the important information visible in the top third. Surely he must have asked himself, “What can I do for yet another Beethoven piano concerto?” But he didn’t often falter, and this “late Columbia” period produced some memorable gems.

In general look for more complexity in the compositions when comparing these with the 1940s work. Instead of a bold, poster-like simplicity for 78 albums, designed to catch the shopper’s eye on a shelf, these long-playing records were displayed in bins where customers could flip through them and pick them up.

In the first two examples below the artist faced up to the Beethoven piano concertos. Both designs use a grand piano placed diagonally.

On the second one the whole composition balances on the corner of the piano. The Steinweiss Scrawl does most of the type work; he had to pay the typesetter for only nine characters of Bodoni. This cover was chosen for inclusion in the definitive book on Steinweiss by Kevin Reagan, so the artist must have remained pleased with it. I can never read the pianist’s name without recalling a poem by Marianne Moore in which she wrote that “The mind is an enchanting thing … like Gieseking playing Scarlatti.”

aa-paul-1

zzzz-paul-2

__________

  This cover for Swan Lake also was included in the book I referred to. It’s notable for the hand ornamentation added to the large display type. The dancer is Nora Kaye, an original principal of the American Ballet Theater.

zzzz-paul-3

__________

  Continuing in catalog order, Twilight Concert depicts a scene from an outdoor concert, with the artist’s distinctive shadows on the table. All the condensed type, possibly a News Gothic, is lowercase, something many designers tried at one time. There’s what I believe is a typo on the program. In the right column, the quote mark before l’arlesienne suite no. 2 is placed too high—it looks like it was pasted in at the last minute.

zzzz-paul-4

__________

  This cover for two different symphonies required two images; I’d bet the designers dreaded getting assigned a two-in-one. Here Steinweiss combines his own drawing of Prague’s Charles Bridge with an image of Jupiter from his cache of old engravings. It hangs together nicely. Bodoni is the only typeface used.

zzzz-paul-5a

__________

  A second Twilight Concert called for multiple titles by multiple composers, so each one got a music stand. Not his best cover, but a balanced, well-wrought composition. All the type is Futura. Following this he was assigned the uninspiring Nelson Eddy. The composition places a bunch of rectangles over a net of playful Steinweiss tendrils. That color palette would have seemed bright and up-to-date in 1950.

zzzz-paul-5

zzzz-paul-7

__________

  The Prades Festival was founded by Pablo Casals in the town in the French Pyrenees where he had taken up residence. A Gothic tympanum, probably an engraving, dominates this design. The upper photo shows Prades. This recording came from the first year of the festival, now known as the Pablo Casals Festival. Program note: Isaac Stern, violin star of this record, was married for a time to Nora Kaye, the ballerina pictured above.

In this work, as in others in the late Columbia years, we have come a long way from the simpler, poster-like compositions of the early 1940s. This art wouldn’t grab your eye from across the store; it requires a closer look and assumes you want to read the credits in some detail. On the back were liner notes by experienced critics.

zzzz-paul-8

__________

This album is the third of this series to be chosen for the Steinweiss coffee table book, likely not because of the outstanding design but because the designer used his children as models. The image of the marionette in blackface sent me on a research quest, in which I read about “Golliwog’s Cakewalk,” one of the Debussy pieces in the Children’s Corner Suite. A golliwog was a black character in 19th century children’s books, reminiscent of American minstrel characters. Steinweiss gives him a cane and straw hat for his ragtime-influenced cakewalk.

zzzz-paul-9

__________

  French folk songs apparently didn’t prompt the best design here, on a cover using a pink background that makes me queasy. The drawing of the pastoral scene from the Auvergne, placed atop the harp, is quite unnecessary. This is from 1951, when he designed dozens, perhaps more, of album covers for Columbia. He had administrative duties as well, so I fully sympathize when I see a competent but not exciting work like this.

zzzz-paul-10

__________

Perhaps it was the next week in 1951 that he turned to the Beethoven violin concerto, and was inspired to create a stunner. The large Clarendon type gives a poster appeal to the violinist’s name. In other compositions Steinweiss has used the form of the scroll and the tuning pegs; here he gives us a close-up of the bridge. Within this frame is a woodsy scene with a strolling gentleman.

zzzz-paul-11

zzzz-paul-12

__________

  The cover below for the Emperor Concerto combines the oft-used crown picture with the also familiar piano balanced on a diagonal. It’s skillfully put together, but the piano image was supposed to allow some of the crown to show through, and the printers didn’t pull that off.

zzzz-paul-13

__________

Two of Tchaikovsky’s well known works receive literal treatments in the small boxes. The sketches show Romeo at Juliet’s window and Dante conversing with Francesca in the second circle of hell, where she was being punished for carnal sins. A large tree effectively ties together the pink boxes.

This is Columbia ML 4381, from 1951. I began this unselective series with Claudio Arrau playing Beethoven, ML 4302. Besides these from my collection, Steinweiss would have designed many other covers of the numerical series represented here. They demonstrate the creative heights this artist could climb while adhering to a crushing production schedule at a large record company.

zzzz-paul-14

*

Next time, Paul explores some of the covers of Evererst Records, the short-lived jazz and classical label that Steinweiss helped to launch

__________

In Volume 1 of “Cover Stories,” Paul shared his collection of covers by Alex Steinweiss, known as the father of the record album cover, and for many years in charge of Columbia Records’ art department.

Volume 2 focused on Columbia covers

Volume 3 featured jazz illustrations from the early years of the record album

Volume 4 revisited the 1950’s with images of fans holding and enjoying their albums

Volume 5 explored the work of Alex Steinweiss when he used the pseudonym “Piedra Blanca”

Volume 6 featured teenagers of the 1950’s enjoying their music

Volume 7 featured Steinweiss album covers from his prime period — the late 1940’s and early 1950’s

Volume 8 featured a “disturbing” and fascinating trend in 1950’s album art — Records on the Floor!

Volume 9 featured a selection of RCA Victor album covers from Paul’s collection

Volume 10 featured a selection of covers by Curt John Witt, the prolific illustrator for mid-century budget record labels

Volume 11 featured a selection of “glamour girl” covers

Share this:

4 comments on “Cover Stories with Paul Morris, Vol. 12”

  1. I fell in love with Steinweiss’ covers for Columbia Records, too. My personal favourite (though it’s difficult to choose from the aweinspiring number he was responsible for) is his cover for “The Firebird” (ML 4046) from – I think – 1949. Then he went on to do another Firebird cover for Decca in 1954 (DL 79978), which possibly surpassed the 1949 design and was included as an art print in the magnificent Steinweiss tribute book by Steven Heller.

  2. I fell in love with Steinweiss’ covers for Columbia Records, too. My personal favourite (though it’s difficult to choose from the aweinspiring number he was responsible for) is his cover for “The Firebird” (ML 4046) from – I think – 1949. Then he went on to do another Firebird cover for Decca in 1954 (DL 79978), which possibly surpassed the 1949 design and was included as an art print in the magnificent Steinweiss tribute book by Steven Heller.

Comment on this article:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Site Archive

In This Issue

painting of Clifford Brown by Paul Lovering
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Spring/Summer, 2024 Edition...In this, the 17th major collection of jazz poetry published on Jerry Jazz Musician, 50 poets from all over the world again demonstrate the ongoing influence the music and its associated culture has on their creative lives.

(featuring the art of Paul Lovering)

Interview

Interview with James Kaplan, author of 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and the Lost Empire of Cool...The esteemed writer tells a vibrant story about the jazz world before, during, and after the 1959 recording of Kind of Blue, and how the album’s three genius musicians came together, played together, and grew together (and often apart) throughout the experience.

Publisher’s Notes

photo by Rhonda Dorsett
On turning 70, and contemplating the future of Jerry Jazz Musician...

The Sunday Poem

Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Straight, No Chaser,” by Steve Trenam...

Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem

Essay

“Gone Guy: Jazz’s Unsung Dodo Marmarosa,” by Michael Zimecki...The writer remembers the late jazz musician Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa, awarded Esquire Magazine’s New Star Award in 1947, and who critics predicted would dominate the jazz scene for the next 30 years.

Feature

Excerpts from David Rife’s Jazz Fiction: Take Two – Vol. 5: “Scott Joplin: King of Ragtime”...A substantial number of novels and stories with jazz music as a component of the story have been published over the years, and the scholar David J. Rife has written short essay/reviews of them. In this fifth edition of excerpts from his book, Rife writes of three novels that include stories about Scott Joplin, the primary forerunner and significant influencer of jazz.

Interview

Interview with Larry Tye, author of The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America...The author talks about his book, an intensely researched, spirited, and beautifully told story – and an important reminder that Armstrong, Ellington, and Basie all defied and overcame racial boundaries “by opening America’s eyes and souls to the magnificence of their music.”

Short Fiction

Impulse! Records and ABC/Dunhill Records. Photographer uncredited/via Wikimedia Commons
Short Fiction Contest-winning story #66 — “Not From Around Here” by Jeff Dingler...The author’s award-winning story is about a Jewish kid coming of age in Alabama and discovering his identity through music, in particular the interstellar sound of Sun Ra..

Click here to read more short fiction published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Poetry

John Coltrane, by Martel Chapman
Four poets, four poems…on John Coltrane

Feature

What we discover about Kamala Harris from an armful of record albums...Like her or not, readers of this site will enjoy learning that Vice President Kamala Harris is a fan of jazz music. Witness this recent clip (via Youtube) of her emerging from a record shop…

Playlist

photo of Teddy Wilson by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
“Trios – Three’s Not a Crowd” – a playlist by Bob Hecht...In the history of jazz there have been many variations of instrumentation within the trio format (think of Benny Goodman’s trio or Jimmy Giuffre’s) but on this playlist, Bob Hecht concentrates on a handful of the classic trio configurations—either piano, bass and drums, or in a few instances, piano, guitar and bass...

Poetry

“Revival” © Kent Ambler.
If You Want to Go to Heaven, Follow a Songbird – Mary K O’Melveny’s album of poetry and music...While consuming Mary K O’Melveny’s remarkable work in this digital album of poetry, readings and music, readers will discover that she is moved by the mastery of legendary musicians, the wings of a monarch butterfly, the climate and political crisis, the mysteries of space exploration, and by the freedom of jazz music that can lead to what she calls “the magic of the unknown.” (with art by Kent Ambler)

Book Excerpt

A book excerpt from Designed for Success: Better Living and Self-Improvement with Midcentury Instructional Records, by Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder...In this excerpt, the authors write extensively about music instruction and appreciation records dealing with the subject of jazz.

Interview

The Marvelettes/via Wikimedia Commons
Interview with Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz, authors of But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the 60’s Girl Groups...Little is known of the lives and challenges many of the young Black women who made up the Girl Groups of the ‘60’s faced while performing during an era rife with racism, sexism, and music industry corruption. The authors discuss their book’s mission to provide the artists an opportunity to voice their experiences so crucial to the evolution of popular music.

Short Fiction

MartyRus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Briscola” – a short story by Emily Xu...The story – a short-listed entry in the recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – is an exaggerated version of the dynamism of domestic/romantic relationships between spouses and the difficulty to sustain a family.

Art

photo of Leroy Jenkins by Giovanni Piesco
The Photographs of Giovanni Piesco: Leroy Jenkins...photos of the eminent free jazz violinist, taken at Amsterdam's Bimhuis on January 4, 1999.

Essay

“Like a Girl Saying Yes: The Sound of Bix” – an essay by Malcolm McCollum...The first time Benny Goodman heard Bix Beiderbecke play cornet, he wondered, “My God, what planet, what galaxy, did this guy come from?” What was it about this musician that captivated and astonished so many for so long – and still does?

Trading Fours with Douglas Cole

Trading Fours, with Douglas Cole, No. 21: “The Blue Truth”...In this edition, the poet riffs on Oliver Nelson’s classic 1961 album The Blues and the Abstract Truth as if a conversation between conductor and players were caught on tape along with the inner monologue of some mystery player/speaker of the poem.

In Memoriam

Hans Bernhard (Schnobby), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Remembering Joe Pass: Versatile Jazz Guitar Virtuoso” – by Kenneth Parsons...On the 30th anniversary of the guitarist Joe Pass’ death, Kenneth Parsons reminds readers of his brilliant career

Book Excerpt

Book excerpt from Jazz with a Beat: Small Group Swing 1940 – 1960, by Tad Richards

Click here to read more book excerpts published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Jazz History Quiz #175

photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
This famed jazz artist played the piano professionally as a seventh grader before switching to drums, learning to play in the styles of Chick Webb and Sid Catlett. Before forming his own band in the early 1950’s, he played with Mary Lou Williams (pictured) in New York, toured the South with Fletcher Henderson’s band, and was the drummer in Billy Eckstine’s group from 1944 – 1947. Who is he?

Community

photo via Picryl.com
“Community Bookshelf” is a twice-yearly space where writers who have been published on Jerry Jazz Musician can share news about their recently authored books and/or recordings. This edition includes information about books published within the last six months or so (March – September, 2024)

Contributing Writers

Click the image to view the writers, poets and artists whose work has been published on Jerry Jazz Musician, and find links to their work

Coming Soon

An interview with Larry Tye, author of The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America; an interview with Jonathon Grasse, author of Jazz Revolutionary: The Life & Music of Eric Dolphy; A new collection of jazz poetry; a collection of jazz haiku; a new Jazz History Quiz; short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and lots more in the works...

Interview Archive

Ella Fitzgerald/IISG, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Click to view the complete 25-year archive of Jerry Jazz Musician interviews, including those recently published with Judith Tick on Ella Fitzgerald (pictured),; Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz on the Girl Groups of the 60's; Tad Richards on Small Group Swing; Stephanie Stein Crease on Chick Webb; Brent Hayes Edwards on Henry Threadgill; Richard Koloda on Albert Ayler; Glenn Mott on Stanley Crouch; Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom on Eubie Blake; Richard Brent Turner on jazz and Islam; Alyn Shipton on the art of jazz; Shawn Levy on the original queens of standup comedy; Travis Atria on the expatriate trumpeter Arthur Briggs; Kitt Shapiro on her life with her mother, Eartha Kitt; Will Friedwald on Nat King Cole; Wayne Enstice on the drummer Dottie Dodgion; the drummer Joe La Barbera on Bill Evans; Philip Clark on Dave Brubeck; Nicholas Buccola on James Baldwin and William F. Buckley; Ricky Riccardi on Louis Armstrong; Dan Morgenstern and Christian Sands on Erroll Garner; Maria Golia on Ornette Coleman.