Genius at Work.
Robert Lim is a freelance writer based in Connecticut. He mostly writes about the way the worlds of style, music, and culture interact, including for his newsletter Birds of a Feather.
Photography by Francis Wolff, Copyright Mosaic Images LLC. Used with permission.
Genius at Work: Blue Note Records and the Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff
If you love modern design or music, chances are you’ve run across the Blue Note Records label - and possibly the photography of Francis Wolff, whose work was often featured in Reid Miles’ designs for Blue Note’s LP packaging during their heyday. And if you know Blue Note, you may also know how influential those designs and photographs are to this day - appearing in streetwear collections celebrating the music of John Coltrane (who recorded one of the best known albums on the label), or in tributes like 3sixteen’s recently released “Wrecked” tee which pays homage to Miles’ unique typography.
As much as I love the music and overall design, Wolff’s photographs keep drawing me back in, too. But before I get into that, I should offer some context first. He was a co-founder of Blue Note, which started in New York City as an independent record label, back in 1939. In an industry that’s often profit-focused, Blue Note stood out - committing to releasing music based on its artistic merit, regardless of its commercial potential. It was through that perspective that they ended up documenting a critical part of jazz’s modern, post-war foundation.
Blue Note was also notable in how they curated each release, pioneering the look and sound of the new LP format in the 50’s and 60’s. They were highly selective of the music they released, favoring quality over quantity. When they committed to releasing an album, they’d pay the musicians to rehearse - an uncommon practice that ate into profits but ensured a quality recording session.
As an example of how well this approach could work, let’s take Blue Train - Blue Note’s sole album release by John Coltrane. Coltrane was one of the greatest instrumentalists of all time and released dozens of albums. And among those this is considered to be one of his best - and was his personal favorite. Beyond that, it’s considered to be definitive of its style and routinely appears on lists of the best albums of all time - regardless of genre. If you haven’t heard it, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
As iconic as the album is, its cover - centering on a photograph by Francis Wolff - is just as well known. It also sums up what I love about Wolff's style in a nutshell. Coltrane isn’t shown doing anything particularly musical, or posing in the way that you’d expect on an album cover. Instead he seems lost in thought - enjoying a lollipop of all things. I dare you to name any famous album cover where a grown man is alone with a lollipop and his thoughts, let alone with dignity. That’s what Wolff could do.
And that’s only the tip of a pretty massive iceberg of eye opening photographs. Wolff was a constant presence at Blue Note’s most groundbreaking sessions, documenting the artists’ creative process. There’s so much to love about these photos, I don’t really know where to begin. They’re candids as thoughtful as any portrait. They’re gorgeously lit. They epitomize the intimacy of portraiture, in a variety of settings - while its subjects are playing, taking casual studio breaks, or like Coltrane - caught up in moments of contemplation between takes. They show the act of creation, as it’s happening - during the improvisation that jazz is known for, as well as the studious effort that went into composition and rehearsals.
Wolff’s photos are up close and revealing of their subjects - one of the greatest groupings of musicians of all-time, at arguably their creative peak. And if you’re a style nerd too, you’ll notice they’re steezy AF, too. Like I said, there’s lots to love here.
But don’t take it from me - these photos only hint at the fascinating world that Francis Wolff so compellingly captured. You can view Mosaic Images' Francis Wolff photography archive and order prints here, and listen to a special WFH playlist I put together featuring a mix of Blue Note classics and personal favorites here.
