MONK, Thelonious.

Description

Early 1970s Japanese Riverside Records/His Master’s Voice promo poster (Katsuji Abé)

Original first printing Thelonious Monk (1917–1982) promotional poster issued by Riverside Records/His Master’s Voice in Japan in the early 1970s, presumably. Monk recorded for Riverside from 1955–1961. The Riverside catalog was manufactured and reissued by Victor Music Industries in Japan. The poster features striking artwork credited to legendary Japanese photographer and master graphic designer Katsuji Abe (1929–2008), with his imprint (K. Abe) to the bottom left corner. Abe’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”. Abe’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 Abe 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. Never seen another one of these.

The poster measures 51.7 x 68.6 cm (approx. 20.3″ by 27″ inches) and is beautifully printed on thin, smooth-finish uncoated paper stock. Very light sporadic handling wear and a tack hole to each corner, else in remarkably near excellent unfolded condition. Feel free to email us with any questions you may have concerning this item. Additional images of the poster available on request.