EVANS, Bill.

Description

Late 1970s Japanese Verve Records/Polydor KK promo poster (Katsuji Abé)

Original first printing Bill Evans (1929–1980) promotional poster issued by Verve Records/Polydor KK in Japan in the late 1970s. Evans recorded for Verve between 1962–1969, and the catalog was manufactured in Japan by Polydor KK. The poster features a photo of Evans credited to legendary Japanese photographer and master graphic designer Katsuji Abé (1929–2008), with his imprint (K. Abé) to the bottom left corner. Abé’s career in jazz photography lasted for over 50 years. His photography has been the subject of multiple international exhibitions, and has been used for record covers for countless jazz musicians, including John Coltrane, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, and Oscar Peterson, among others. His photographs have graced many jazz record covers and he has six published books, among them ” Jazz Giants – Vision of the Great American Legends”, “50 Jazz Greats”, and “Parker’s Lullaby”. Abé’s Jazz Giants remains the greatest compilation of jazz photographs ever assembled and is continually sought after by collectors. In 1986, the U.S. Postal Service honored Abé by using his photograph of Duke Ellington taken during a performance in Tokyo, for a commemorative 22 cent stamp. The poster was for promotional purposes only, and was never made commercially available.

The poster measures 51.3 x 72.6 cm (approx. 20.2″ by 28.6″ inches) and is beautifully printed on thin, coated paper stock. In excellent condition, unfolded and clean. Feel free to email us with any questions you may have concerning this item. Additional images of the poster available on request.