Francis Wolff (1907-1971) - Miles Davis, 1953

Stunning and very rare photolithograph of Miles Davis in the middle of a concert in 1953.
Print produced by the famous Jazz photographer Francis Wolff, best known for his series created for the Blue Note label.

A rare collectible photograph ready to be framed.

Technique: Photolithography on high-quality thick paper.
Photographer: Francis Wolff (1907-1971)
Signature: Photographer and publishing house listed on a plaque at the bottom left of the image.
Photo credits: Mosaic Images LLC
Dimensions: 29.4 cm × 32.0 cm × 1.2 cm
Condition: Excellent. Never framed.
Shipping: Carefully packaged and secure shipment with a tracking number via Colissimo and UPS, signature required, and insured.

About the jazz label "Blue Note":

Created at a time when photography was still striving to be regarded as an 'art', Francis Wolff's use of striking contrast and abstract framing echoes other 20th-century artists such as Man Ray and Horst P. Horst.

Halfway between art, documentary, and marketing, Wolff produced a collection of exquisite works for Blue Note Records. While the primary function was promotional, the images remain a major documentation of this pivotal period in history.

About the photographer:

Francis Wolff is an American jazz photographer and music producer. He is the co-founder of the famous American jazz label Blue Note Records. He is known for his photographs used on the covers of the label’s albums.

Francis Wolff was born and raised in Germany, the son of a mathematics professor and a mother who passed on to him her love of culture. He went to attend a concert by pianist Sam Wooding with his childhood friend Alfred Lion, and he discovered a passion for jazz. In 1928, while Alfred Lion chose to move to New York to pursue a career in jazz, Wolff remained in Berlin, where he began a career as a professional photographer.
In 1939, Lion founded the jazz label Blue Note Records. That same year, World War II broke out in Europe; his Jewish roots and his work as an artist were then hardly compatible with Hitler's regime, and Wolff emigrated by boat to the United States[n 1]. He initially held the position of assistant photographer, then joined his friend Lion, who handles the musical selection for Blue Note and works to develop the label's commercial side. Lion's military service during the war lasts two years; Wolff works for producer Milt Gabler at the Commodore Music Store, and together they maintain the 27 recordings in the young label's catalog until Lion is released from his military duties in 1943. The label resumes recording sessions in November 1943.

During recording studio sessions he often engages in photography with the aim of archiving and historically documenting the label's sessions. Wolff takes photographs most often during the session rehearsals. They were used for advertising purposes and on the jackets of LP albums, and later on CD reissues. His photographs gain importance with the arrival in 1956 of designer Reid Miles, who wisely makes use of the black-and-white shots taken by Wolff. Miles works for the label until 1967 on nearly 500 covers, using his technique to offer a distinctive hallmark unique to this label.

Reid Miles and Alfred Lion decide to leave the label in 1967, while Francis Wolff remains until his death, which occurred on March 8, 1971, from a heart attack.

Francis Wolff is regarded as one of the leading jazz photographers. His work remained largely unknown to the general public for a long time; the 1995 publication of a volume titled The Blue Note Years: The Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff, a compilation of his main photographs for the label, helped bring more attention to his work.