Like Plywood, Aztec is a 1960s typeface by Photo-Lettering that was adopted from an Art Deco alphabet found in Publicité Vignettes Lettres Chiffres Monogrammes et Rehauts Modernes, a source book published in 1931 in Paris, France. The original piece of lettering is titled La Massive and was drawn by A. Bardi, the artist who also takes credit for the alphabet adopted as Halloween.

In 1971, Haig Adishian specified it for the cover of an album by vibraphonist Gary Burton and pianist Keith Jarrett, recorded a year earlier together with guitarist Sam Brown, bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bill Goodwin. The photography is by D.H. Burton.

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This composite detail shows several letterforms with triangular elements, including for crossbars in A and H, a typical element of Art Deco lettering. The wedge shapes are probably also what inspired Aztec’s name – despite the fact that the design originated in 1930s France, and has nothing to do with Mesoamerican art or architecture, apart from some coincidental and superficial formal parallels.

The hairline that’s part of Bardi’s original design was here rendered in white, causing it to disappear when viewed from a distance.

On the back, Aztec is printed in a single color. Additional text is set in two weights of Helvetica.

Expectations is a 1972 album by the pianist, saxophonist and composer Keith Jarrett, released on Columbia Records.

Cover by pen & ink artist Robert Horvitz. The letterforms are based on L&C Hairline (Herb Lubalin & Tom Carnase, 1965). With the added hatching, the geometric capitals resemble shaded typefaces like Ludlow Umbra or Semplicità Ombra.

Back cover photo by Urve Kuusik.

Neon playing a solo on this cover and inlay for a recording of Keith Jarrett's 1973 solo concerts in Lausanne and Bremen. Cover by design duo B & B Wojirsch (who were married outside office hours).