Birka Jazz Home
   On Internet since 1999

The Birka Jazz Archive
Records we have bought and sold over the years - the rare and the beautiful!


Please note!
Birka Jazz record store is closed but Birka Jazz Archive is still available. Scroll down and use the links to browse this comprehensive archive of rare jazz album covers





AMERICAN LABELS

COLUMBIA RECORDS
The pioneers of album cover design

CLEF, NORGRAN, VERVE (1)
David Stone Martin

CLEF, NORGRAN, VERVE (2)
The photographic covers

BLUE NOTE  10" LPs
Searching for a modern jazz identity

BLUE NOTE  1500 series
Defining the hard bop style

BLUE NOTE  4000 series
Masterpieces of Reid Miles

PRESTIGE RECORDS
Images of East Coast jazz

RIVERSIDE RECORDS
Street cred with Thelonious Monk

PACIFIC JAZZ
Moods of Chet and Claxton

CONTEMPORARY
Cool West Coast, great Sound

SAVOY RECORDS
Masterworks by Charlie Parker

DIAL RECORDS
Small label, big Bird sound

ATLANTIC RECORDS
Bold and striking albums

EMARCY RECORDS
The classic drummer logo label

BETHLEHEM RECORDS
The beautiful design of Burt Goldblatt

DEBUT RECORDS
Artist-operated jazz label with Mingus & Roach

CANDID RECORDS
Legendary, early 1960s LPs

ESP-DISK
Free jazz and silk screened covers

IMPULSE RECORDS
Edgy and experimental

RCA VICTOR
The high spirit of Jim Flora

VARIOUS US labels (1)
ABC-Paramount, Aladdin, Argo, Capitol, Coral, Dawn, Decca,
and more

VARIOUS US labels (2)
Epic, Fantasy, HiFi, Imperial, Jazzland, Jazz West, Jubilee, Mercury, Mode, and more

VARIOUS US labels (3)
Roost, Signal, Storyville, Tampa, Transition, United Artists, Vee Jay, and more



EUROPEAN LABELS

SWEDEN (1)
The EP era and Metronome Records in 1950s

SWEDEN (2)
The LPs in the 1950s, and Swedish jazz abroad

SWEDEN (3)
Changing times in the 1960s

SWEDEN (4)
New energy to Swedish jazz in the 1970s

DENMARK
Montmartre, Debut Records and the heydays in Danish jazz

NORWAY
Krog and Garbarek, greats in Norwegian jazz

FINLAND
Plenty of merged styles in Finnish jazz

FRANCE
Americans in Paris, force in French jazz

ENGLAND
Esquire and Tempo, classic labels in British jazz

GERMANY
Jazz labels with strong identity

ITALY
Rare Italian jazz covers

HOLLAND
From Diamonds to ICP in
Dutch jazz

POLAND
Unique series of Polish jazz on Muza


OTHER COUNTRIES
Jazz labels around the world







         

ESP-Disk

Free jazz
and silk screened covers

ESP-Disk was founded in New York in 1965 by Bernard Stollman. He was a young lawyer, who in 1964 heard Albert Ayler playing solo for about twelve people in a club in Harlem.

This event ended up in a hole-in-a-wall studio near Times Square, there Stollman made a recording with Albert Ayler. Next year, when ESP-Disk was established, it became the new company´s first jazz issue, the famous freejazz classic Spiritual Unity.

It was an inheritance from his mother that made it possible for Bernard Stollman to start the company. He was still living in his parents house, which address (180 Riverside Drive) is printed on the first records from ESP.


Inspired by Folkways Records

He was inspired by Folkways label and their commitment to American musical culture and their minimal solid and earthy covers. Stollman wanted to document the freejazz scene and found that silkscreened covers would have a handmade primal quality, suitable for this enterprise.

         

The first graphic designer at ESP-Disk was Jordan Matthews. But all the people at the company were involved in the process, and Bernard Stoller personally silk screened covers.

ESP-Disk produced 45 records in 18 months. Unfortunately the adventure lasted not much longer. The money ended up and the company stopped functioning in 1968, thought it were some issues in the 1970s.




LINKS

ESP-Disk Discography
jazzdiscorg.com


The ESP-Disk Story
All About Jazz


 Albert Ayler: Spiritual Unity   Label: ESP-Disk 1002   12" LP 1965
 Design: Jordan Matthews

ESP-Disk

 Pharoah Sanders   Label: ESP-Disk 1003   12" LP 1965  Design: David Michalowski
 
 

 New York Art Quartet   Label: ESP-Disk 1004   12" LP 1965   Design: Saul Stollman
 
 

 The Byron Allen Trio   Label: ESP-Disk 1005   12" LP 1965   Design: Howard Bernstein
 
 

 Ornette Coleman: Town Hall, 1962   Label: ESP-Disk 1006   12" LP 1965
 Design: Jay Dillon   Photo: Charles Shabacon
 
 

 Giuseppi Logan Quartet   Label: ESP-Disk 1007   12" LP 1965
 Design: Howard Bernstein
 
 

 Paul Bley: Barrage   Label: ESP-Disk 1008   12" LP 1965
 Design: Mike Snow   Photo: Sy Johnson
 
 

 Albert Ayler: Bells   Label: ESP-Disk 1010   12" LP 1965   Design: David Michalowski
 
 

 Lowell Davidson Trio   Label: ESP-Disk 1012   12" LP 1965   Photo: George Klabin
 
 

 The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra   Label: ESP-Disk 1014   12" LP 1965
 Design: Sun Ra
 
 

 Milton Graves Percussion Ensemble w. Sunny Morgan   Label: ESP-Disk 1015   12" LP 1965
 
 

 Albert Ayler: New York Eye and Ear Control    Label: ESP-Disk 1016   12" LP 1965
 
 

 Albert Aylere: Spirits Rejoice   Label: ESP-Disk 1020   12" LP 1965
 Design: Sandra H. Stollman
 
 

 Paul Bley Trio   Label: ESP-Disk 1021   12" LP 1966   Design: Joy Dillon
 
 

 Marion Brown Quartet   Label: ESP-Disk 1022   12" LP 1966   Foto: Charles Shabacon
 
 

 Frank Wright Trio   Label: ESP-Disk 1023   12" LP 1966   Design: Joy Dillon
 
 

 Burton Greene Quartet   Label: ESP-Disk 1024   12" LP 1966   Photo: Ray Gibson
 
 

 Henry Grimes: The Call   Label: ESP-Disk 1026   12" LP 1966   Photo: Ray Gibson
 
 

 Charles Tyler Ensemble   Label: ESP-Disk 1029   12" LP 1966
 Design: Joy Dillon   Photo: Raymond Ross
 
 

 Noah Howard Quartet   Label: ESP-Disk 1031   12" LP 1966   Photo: Charles Shabacon
 
 

 Sunny Murray   Label: ESP-Disk 1032   12" LP 1966   Photo: Ray Gibson
 
 

 Frank Wright: Your Prayer   Label: ESP-Disk 1053   12" LP 1968
 Foto: Harlene Sandra Stollman
 
 

 
      
NEXT PAGE     BACK TO START