Francis Wolff

Francis Wolff ( * 1907 or 1908 ( ) in Berlin;? † March 8, 1971 in New York City, actually Frank Wolff) was, together with Alfred Lion founder of the legendary record label Blue Note Records, and designer, photographer and producer of the label.

Life and work

After a brief career as a commercial photographer in Germany Wolff emigrated in 1939 because of his Jewish ancestry from the threat of the Nazi regime in the United States. Back in Berlin he became interested in jazz. Therefore he belonged, as well as the later broadcast writer and longtime president of the German Jazz Federation Olaf Hudtwalcker, for ( conspiratorial ) Hot Club Berlin. In New York he met again with his also emigrated Berlin childhood friend Alfred Lion, who was already working on the preparations for his own record label, which should deal primarily with productions of jazz musicians. During the war, Wolff took over largely alone the affairs of the young label and focused on recruiting new musicians, while his companion Lion rendered military service. After the war, Wolff developed together with his friend Lion an extensive catalog of musicians for Blue Note and emerged primarily as an innovative designer and photographer with new style elements. The productions of Blue Note translated not only in music but also by the design of their Phonograms standards. The cover design and the combination with the most coarse-grained in black and white photographs held by Wolff were later copied often. Francis Wolff made ​​his photographs mostly during the recording sessions, concerts, or spontaneous sessions of the musicians. For example, arose impressive portraits of Miles Davis, Charlie "Bird" Parker and Thelonious Monk.

In 1967, his partner Lion slowly pulled back from the activities of Blue Note and Wolff cared mainly about the financial things of the business, however, among which also suffered from the quality of the productions. End of the 60s was not an independent label Blue Note more. With the death of Wolff in 1971 a thirty-year "Music Style " story came to an end.