On Internet since 1999

The Birka Jazz Archive
Records we have bought and sold over the years - the rare and the beautiful!

Please note!
Birka Jazz record store is closed but Birka Jazz Archive is still available. Scroll down and use the links to browse this comprehensive archive of rare jazz album covers

AMERICAN LABELS

COLUMBIA RECORDS
The pioneers of album cover design

CLEF, NORGRAN, VERVE (1)
David Stone Martin

CLEF, NORGRAN, VERVE (2)
The photographic covers

BLUE NOTE 10" LPs
Searching for a modern jazz identity

BLUE NOTE 1500 series
Defining the hard bop style

BLUE NOTE 4000 series
Masterpieces of Reid Miles

PRESTIGE RECORDS
Images of East Coast jazz

RIVERSIDE RECORDS
Street cred with Thelonious Monk

PACIFIC JAZZ
Moods of Chet and Claxton

CONTEMPORARY
Cool West Coast, great Sound

SAVOY RECORDS
Masterworks by Charlie Parker

DIAL RECORDS
Small label, big Bird sound

ATLANTIC RECORDS
Bold and striking albums

EMARCY RECORDS
The classic drummer logo label

BETHLEHEM RECORDS
The beautiful design of Burt Goldblatt

DEBUT RECORDS
Artist-operated jazz label with Mingus & Roach

CANDID RECORDS
Legendary, early 1960s LPs

ESP-DISK
Free jazz and silk screened covers

IMPULSE RECORDS
Edgy and experimental

RCA VICTOR
The high spirit of Jim Flora

VARIOUS US labels (1)
ABC-Paramount, Aladdin, Argo, Capitol, Coral, Dawn, Decca,
and more

VARIOUS US labels (2)
Epic, Fantasy, HiFi, Imperial, Jazzland, Jazz West, Jubilee, Mercury, Mode, and more

VARIOUS US labels (3)
Roost, Signal, Storyville, Tampa, Transition, United Artists, Vee Jay, and more

EUROPEAN LABELS

SWEDEN (1)
The EP era and Metronome Records in 1950s

SWEDEN (2)
The LPs in the 1950s, and Swedish jazz abroad

SWEDEN (3)
Changing times in the 1960s

SWEDEN (4)
New energy to Swedish jazz in the 1970s

DENMARK
Montmartre, Debut Records and the heydays in Danish jazz

NORWAY
Krog and Garbarek, greats in Norwegian jazz

FINLAND
Plenty of merged styles in Finnish jazz

FRANCE
Americans in Paris, force in French jazz

ENGLAND
Esquire and Tempo, classic labels in British jazz

GERMANY
Jazz labels with strong identity

ITALY
Rare Italian jazz covers

HOLLAND
From Diamonds to ICP in
Dutch jazz

POLAND
Unique series of Polish jazz on Muza

OTHER COUNTRIES
Jazz labels around the world

Atlantic Records

Heavy jazz,
bold and striking albums

ATLANTIC was founded in 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. From the beginning a r&b label, issueing only some few jazz recordings. But in 1955 Ahmet´s brother Nesuhi Ertegun joined the company and built up an important jazz catalogue.

Atlantic´s first jazz album covers in the second half of 1950s were made by a variety of fine designers, including Burt Goldblatt and Robert Guidi. Often with delicious black and white photos by William Claxton, Hugh Bell and others, and an artful designs.

But in the last years of the decade, when Marvin Israel took over as art director, Atlantic began to assert a more coherant design policy: more powerful, more colours, bold typefaces, striking abstracts or strong photograph portraitures by Lee Friedlander and others.

Atlantic had several sub-labels, among them Atco, Cotillion and East-West. Clarion was a budget label. The company also had distribution relationship with several labels, such as Stax, Vortex and Volt.

In the 1960s Atlantic moved gradually back into the r&b and soul jazz field. The label was sold to Warner Brothers in 1967.

MARVIN ISRAEL and his designer collegue LORING EUTEMY created the new look of Atlantic in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The abiding impression of Atlantic album covers of this period is their restrained elegance and deceptive simplicity. The covers were heavily laminated, often with high quality photographical portraits of the artists. The typyfaces were bold and colourful.

The designer´s desire was to employ graphic design in a way that elevate the status of jazz and r&b artists, to give those mostly black artists a graphic package that had dignity and gravitas. At the same time the covers should be in full view in the record shops and be immediately recognizable as an hot Atlantic LP.

Marvin Israel moved on from Atlantic in 1963, Loring Eutemey continued to work with the company until the mid 1970s.

LEE FRIEDLANDER took many of the photographs on the Atlantic covers in the late 1950s and the 1960s. He was born in Washington 1934 and moved to New York in 1956.

As a house photographer his picture style became an important part of that special Atlantic feeling. His brilliant portraits appealed to every jazz fans mind. They were wonderfully detailed and warmly empathetic.

Lee Friedlander worked with Atlantic into 1970s. Today he is widely regarded as one of America´s most accomplished photographic artists.

Ahmed and Nesuhi Ertegun

LINKS

Atlantic Discography
jazzdiscorg.com

Ahmet Ertegun
atlanticrecords.com/vintage

Lee Friedlander
Fraenkel Gallery

Lee Konitz with Warne Marsh Label: Atlantic 1217 12" LP 1955
Photo: William Claxton

Atlantic Records

Don Byas: Tenor Saxophone Solos Label: Atlantic 117 10" LP 1952
Design: Burt Goldblatt

Dizzy Gillespie, vol. 1 Label: Atlantic 138 10" LP 1953
Design: Marshall Barer Photo: William Gottlieb

Wilbur De Paris Label: Atlantic 141 10" LP 1953

Joe Turner Label: Atlantic EP 536 7" EP 1953

Shorty Rogers: The Swinging Mr. Rogers Label: Atlantic 1212 12" LP 1955
Photo: William Claxton

Paul Barbarin and his New Orleans Jazz Label: Atlantic 1215 12" LP 1955
Design: Lamarine Le Goullon Photo: Arthur Kramer

Wilbur De Paris and his New New Orleans Jazz Label: Atlantic 1212 12" LP 1955
Photo: Hugh Bell

Tony Fruscella Label: Atlantic 1220 12" LP 1955 Photo: Hugh Bell

Lennie Tristano Label: Atlantic 1224 12" LP 1955
Design and photo: Burt Goldblatt

Teddy Charles Tentet Label: Atlantic 1229 12" LP 1956
Design and photo: Burt Goldblatt

Modern Jazz Quartet: Fontessa Label: Atlantic 1231 12" LP 1956
Design: Guidi, Tri-Arts Drawing: Norman Sunshine

Wilbur DeParis: Marchin´ Label: Atlantic 1233 12" LP 1956
Design and photo: Burt Goldblatt

Joe Turner sings Kansas City Jazz Label: Atlantic 1234 12" LP 1956
Design: Marvin Israel

Phineas Newborn: Here is Phineas Label: Atlantic 1235 12" LP 1956
Design and photo: Burt Goldblatt

Charles Mingus: Pithecanthropus Erectus Label: Atlantic 1237 12" LP 1956
Design and illustration: Julio de Diego

The Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet Label: Atlantic 1238 12" LP 1956
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Lee Friedlander

Chris Connor: He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not Label: Atlantic 1240 12" LP 1956
Photo: Jay Maisel

Sylvia Syms Sings Label: Atlantic 1243 12" LP 1956
Design: Burt Goldblatt

Modern Jazz Quartet at Music Inn Label: Atlantic 1247 12" LP 1956
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Jay Maisel

The Jimmy Giuffre 3 Label: Atlantic 1254 12" LP 1957
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: William Claxton

Lee Konitz: Inside Hi-Fi Label: Atlantic 1258 12" LP 1957
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Lee Friedlander

Charles Mingus: The Clown Label: Atlantic 1260 12" LP 1957
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Pickow-Three Lions

Wilbur DeParis - Jimmy Witherspoon: New Orleans Blues Label: Atlantic 1266
12" LP 1957 Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Lee Friedlander

Cante Candoli and Lou Levy: West Coast Wailers Label: Atlantic 1268
12" LP 1957 Design: Marvin Israel Photo: William Claxton

Milt Jackson: Plenty, Plenty Soul Label: Atlantic 1269 12" LP 1957
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Jay Maisel

The John Lewis Piano Label: Atlantic 1272 12" LP 1957
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Lee Friedlander

Milt Jackson - Ray Charles: Soul Brothers Label: Atlantic 1279 12" LP 1957
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Lee Friedlander

Ray Charles Sings Label: Atlantic 8006 12" LP 1958 (Denmark)
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Lee Friedlander

La Vern Baker sings Bessie Smith Label: Atlantic 1281 12" LP 1958
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Tom Palumbo

Warne Marsh Label: Atlantic 1291 12" LP 1958
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Lee Friedlander

Jimmy Giuffre: Four Brothers Sound Label: Atlantic 1295 12" LP 1959
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Lee Friedlander

Charles Mingus: Blues & Roots Label: Atlantic 1305 12" LP 1959
Photo: Lee Friedlander

Julius Watkins - Charlie Rouse: The Jazz Modes Label: Atlantic 1306 12" LP 1959
Photo: Lee Friedlander

Ray Charles: What'd I Say Label: Atlantic 8029 12" LP 1959
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Lee Friedlander

John Coltrane: Giant Steps Label: Atlantic 1311 12" LP 1960
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Lee Friedlander

Dick Katz: Piano & Pen Label: Atlantic 1314 12" LP 1960
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Lee Friedlander

Ornette Coleman: The Shape of Jazz To Come Label: Atlantic 1317 12" LP 1960
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: William Claxton

Ornette Coleman: This Is Our Music Label: Atlantic 1353 12" LP 1960
Design: Loring Eutemey Photo: Lee Friedlander

John Coltrane: Coltrane Jazz Label: Atlantic 1354 12" LP 1960
Design: Loring Eutemey Photo: Lee Friedlander

The New Tristano Label: Atlantic 1357 12" LP 1960
Design: Loring Eutemey Photo: Lee Friedlander

John Coltrane: My Favorite Things Label: Atlantic 1361 12" LP 1961
Design: Loring Eutemey Photo: Lee Friedlander

Ornette Coleman: Free Jazz Label: Atlantic 1364 12" LP 1961
Design: Loring Eutemey Painting: Jackson Pollock

Milt Jackson/John Coltrane: Bags and Trane Label: Atlantic 1368 12" LP 1961
Design: Loring Eutemey Photo: Lee Friedlander

John Coltrane: Ole Label: Atlantic 1373 12" LP 1961
Design: Jagel-Slutzky

Charles Mingus: Oh Yeah Label: Atlantic 1377 12" LP 1961
Design: Loring Eutemey

Modern Jazz Quartet: Lonely Woman Label: Atlantic 1381 12" LP 1961
Design: Loring Eutemey Photo: Richard Heimann

John Coltrane: Coltrane Plays the Blues Label: Atlantic 1382 12" LP 1962
Design: Marty Norman/Bob Slutzky

John Coltrane: Coltrane's Sound Label: Atlantic 1419 12" LP 1964
Design: Marvin Israel

Max Roach trio featuring the legendary Hasaan Label: Atlantic 1435 12" LP 1965
Design: Marvin Israel Photo: Laurence Fink

John Coltrane/Don Cherry: The Avant-Garde Label: Atlantic 1451 12" LP 1966
Design: Loring Eutemey

Roland Kirk: Here Comes The Whistleman Label: Atlantic SD 3007 12" LP 1967
Design: McCann / Fuentes

Roland Kirk: The Inflated Tear Label: Atlantic 1502 12" LP 1968
Design: Stanislaw Zagorski Photo: Lee Friedlander

Roland Kirk: Left & Right Label: Atlantic 1518 12" LP 1969
Design: Stanislaw Zagorski Photo: Lee Tanner

Roland Kirk: Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata Label: Atlantic 1578 12" LP 1971
Design: Loring Eutemey Painting: Price Givens

Joe Zawinul Label: Atlantic 1579 12" LP 1971
Design and photo: Ed Freeman

Roland Kirk: Blacknuss Label: Atlantic 1601 12" LP 1972
Design: Haig Adishian Photo: Ray Ross

Yusef Lateef: The Gentle Giant Label: Atlantic 1602 12" LP 1972
Design: Ira Friedlander Photo: Giuseppe Pino

Randy Weston: African Cookbook Label: Atlantic 1609 12" LP 1972
Painting: Ogundipe Fayomi Design: Loring Eutemey

Don Cherry: Hear & Now Label: Atlantic 18217 12" LP 1977
Design: Lynn Breslin

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Atlantic Records

Heavy jazz, bold and striking albums

Atlantic Records

Heavy jazz,
bold and striking albums