Pierre Merlin

Pierre Merlin (1918 - 2000) was a French artist and jazz musician known for designing the cover art of over 150 albums.[1]

Life and career

Merlin was born in Bordeaux in 1918.[2] He studied at the École Municipale des Beaux Arts before receiving a scholarship to study fine art in Paris in 1942. It was there that Merlin began performing New Orleans style jazz eventually playing with Claude Luter and Sidney Bechet.[3][4] Merlin alternated between the cornet and the trumpet.[4]

In the 1940s, Merlin did graphic design work for Hot Club de France.[4] His first sketches of jazz musicians were done at the 1948 Festival of Nice.[4] From 1950 to 1953 Merlin worked designing the album art work for the Vogue and Swing record labels.[4] The record labels would give Merlin very little information about the album he was working on. This was often just the title of the record, song title and photographs.[3] His work was influenced by the designer David Stone Martin.[4]

He died in Paris in 2000.[2]

Discography

With High Society Jazz Band:

  • High Society Jazz Band (CED, 1964)
  • 5 ieme Jazz Band Ball (Pragmaphone, 1969)
  • Jazz chez Bofinger (RCA, 1972)
  • 'Lasses candy (Stomp Off, 1987)[5]

With Claude Luter:

  • Claude Luter et ses Lorientals (1946)
  • Claude Luter et ses Lorientals (Blue Star, 1948)
  • Claude Luter et son Orchestre (Duc Thomson, 1949)[6]

References
  1. Loubes, Christophe (2021-09-12). "Jazz: Pierre Merlin, dessinateur culte au Japon et aux États-Unis, mais méconnu dans sa ville de Bordeaux". Sud Ouest (in French). ISSN 1760-6454. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  2. "Tribute to Pierre Merlin". jazzcoversart.com (in French). Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  3. Moore, Celeste Day (2021). Soundscapes of Liberation: African American Music in Postwar France. Duke University Press. pp. 87–91. doi:10.2307/j.ctv1w7v2f7.
  4. Daver, Manek (1994). Jazz album covers : the rare and the beautiful. Tokyo: Graphic-Sha. pp. 68–79. ISBN 978-4-7661-0726-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  5. Lord, Tom (1998). The Jazz Discography. Vol. 9. West Vancouver, B.C., Canada: Lord Music Reference. pp. H612–H613. ISBN 978-1-881993-18-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. Lord, Tom (1995). The Jazz Discography. Vol. 13. West Vancouver, B.C., Canada: Lord Music Reference. pp. L654–L655. ISBN 978-1-881993-12-4.

Further reading
  • Ferrer, Pascal (2020). The 10' French jazz design records, 1952-1962: Tribute to Pierre Merlin. Bordeaux: Éditions Amalia. ISBN 979-10-699-4130-4. OCLC 1236008343.
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