Hip to be Square : Bauhaus meets Bebop

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between jazz record covers and European modernist graphic design in America in the 1950s and 60s. It focuses on releases by the jazz label Blue Note and analyses the influence of European immigrants and their culture on the struggle of black American jazz musicians for recognition and equality in a predominate white society.After examining the origin and history of jazz, the paper breaks down how the invention of the gramophone and the rise of the record industry paved the way for the success of early jazz music.It furthermore takes a look at the history of modernist graphic design and how World War II and the difficult conditions in Europe and especially Germany lead toa modernist revolution in America.The paper ends with a closer look at Blue Note record covers and the design development throughout the years, focusing on designer Reid Miles and his innovative use of typography.The paper concludes that jazz and especially Bebop and modernist graphic design makes for a fruitful couple. Both are striving forces for something new, breaking with old traditions on their search for new ways of expression. The European, modern look might also have had an impact on overcoming racial barriers, giving black musicians a better platform for their art and changing the perception of white America towards the black community.