As it has recently come to my attention that more than a
few recording artists might not completely understand or see the value of
conceptualizing their CD covers for tremendous sales potential, following
are several CD cover concepts that I created for Contemporary Jazz
saxophonist Ferdinand Bannister's release titled,
"Back to the Roots."
Scenario 1: Depicts the artist in modern day, standing at
the foot of a stage and staring in awe at a Jazz band from the past (circa
1940) performing, with the lead member of the band actually a double of the
artist.
An even nicer touch is if some famous "faces," i.e., King Louie
(Armstrong), Charlie "Bird" Parker, Billie "Lady Day" Holiday, and
others can also be incorporated within a, sort of, collage setting, or a
rare photo, whereby, a number of them are performing together and, perhaps,
at a notable, historical or landmark Jazz festival.
If the artist truly desires to revisit the basic roots of Jazz, this
depiction would entail his going back even further into the past (circa
1895) in New Orleans, LA.
Scenario 2: An artist's, painter's or graphic designer's
creation of tree roots that can be seen underground (as with a diagram or
transparency), with the root tops coming to the ground's surface, and
connecting to a saxophone. An additional nice touch, would be to place the
saxophone in a vegetable or flower garden, with the sax in the foreground.
Scenario 3: Another concept that, perhaps, would make a
dual statement, would be to incorporate the image of a sharecropper who is,
either picking cotton with a saxophone strapped to his back, or a farmer
guiding a horse/mule down a garden row with a saxophone on him in clear
view, creating a strong sense of historical irony, and a possible duality in
its message.
This would be an interesting depiction, since saxophone inventor
Antoine-Joseph Sax gave the music world his invention in the 1830's/1840's,
and being granted his patent in 1846. The timing, so to speak, would be
perfect.
And, with each of these scenarios, a black and white cover would serve as
the ultimate solution in perfectly depicting history and its relative
passage of time. Again, if you would like to consider me for creating your
own original CD cover concept, please contact me.