This was done for Mandy and Jimmy when they were an item; they're still the best of friends so I thought I'd just show what I did for their joint birthday card in 2003. To any jazz record sleeve fan, I hope it's a recognisable pastiche of the fifties' illustrator David Stone Martin whose work provided awe-struck kids like me with more reasons to love America. He and jazz were inseperable; he took risks, didn't bother to ponder the details of a piano, or a tenor sax or a drum kit because he was giving you the straight, no chaser, experience of the music. So this was made to fit a CD case and inside I made a compilation of Horace silver, Miles and Cannonball Adderley classics.
In the 50s and 60s jazz sleeves were either photographs or drawings and unless the photographs were great, which they sometimes were, then DSM and his fluid calligraphy won hands down every time. See an example on the brilliant Ulcercity blog, by D B Dowd, a St Louis-based illustrator and commentator.
This image now available to buy as a very hip card. A jazz lover's dream come true.
The greatest vocalist of them all, or so Frank Sinatra thought.
My next music print will be of Billie Holiday, the Lady who sang the blues and changed jazz singing forever. As a sneak preview I've created this image of the beautiful Billie and accompanied it with various illustrations relevant to her life and music... there's the Count, and Fletcher Henderson who had her father in his band, plus the talismanic Lester Young, 'Pres', the tenor genius who called her Lady Day.
Email me your order. Cards come with envelopes and price includes postage and packing.
jb@plumpstate.com
