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
ESP-Disk
Free jazz
and silk screened covers
ESP-Disk was founded in New York in 1965 by Bernard Stollman. He was a young lawyer, who in 1964 heard Albert Ayler
playing solo for about twelve people in a club in Harlem.
This event ended up in a hole-in-a-wall studio near Times Square, there Stollman made a
recording with Albert Ayler. Next year, when ESP-Disk was established, it became the new company´s first jazz issue,
the famous freejazz classic Spiritual Unity.
It was an inheritance from his mother that made it possible for Bernard Stollman to start the company. He was still
living in his parents house, which address (180 Riverside Drive) is printed on the first records from ESP.
Inspired by Folkways Records
He was inspired by Folkways label and their commitment to American musical culture and their minimal solid and earthy
covers. Stollman wanted to document the freejazz scene and found that silkscreened covers would have a handmade primal
quality, suitable for this enterprise.
The first graphic designer at ESP-Disk was Jordan Matthews. But all the people at the company were involved in the process,
and Bernard Stoller personally silk screened covers.
ESP-Disk produced 45 records in 18 months. Unfortunately the adventure lasted not much longer. The money ended up and
the company stopped functioning in 1968, thought it were some issues in the 1970s.
LINKS
ESP-Disk Discography
jazzdiscorg.com
The ESP-Disk Story
All About Jazz