Keith Jarrett – Expectations album art
Contributed by Garrison Martin on Dec 20th, 2018. Artwork published in
.
Source: www.amazon.com License: All Rights Reserved.
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.
Source: www.amazon.com License: All Rights Reserved.
Back cover photo by Urve Kuusik.
3 Comments on “Keith Jarrett – Expectations album art”
Thanks for resurrecting this (and for not using the re-issued CD version, which Columbia just photocopied from the LP). I’m impressed that you identified the font! I did the lettering on tracing paper, in about 30 minutes, using a specimen sheet found in the Columbia Records’ art department. I had wanted them to let Keith do the lettering in his own handwriting but they thought I should do it, to match the drawing.
Robert, it’s wonderful to hear from you personally! Thanks for the additional insight into the process. From reading your bio and the CV with your art-related activities, I understand this was your first (and only?) foray into designing album art, yes?
Yes, Florian. Music back then was the center of cultural excitement – far more than art galleries or museums – so I really wanted my work on album covers. But there were no other musicians whose esthetics were as close to mine as Keith’s. I got to meet him just before “Expectations” was published and he was really depressed about the project. He had wanted the album to be his first solo effort, but Columbia, in their wisdom, rejected the music he submitted, thinking he was too young to have attracted enough of an audience for a solo album to sell well. They did not foresee that his solo concerts would make his albums bestsellers.