Jeremy Walker is a composer & pianist whose work moves between jazz, classical art song, and poetry. In a collaboration that has spanned decades, I created the album art for two of his latest albums; 7 Psalms and Haunted Blue
7Psalms Album design
Based on the texts of the old testament but distinctive in that it treats the Psalms not as traditional church music but as contemporary art songs that blend jazz harmony, classical vocal writing, and reflective spiritual themes. The album blends country, blues and classical music influences with jazz instruments and voice.
The colors, layout and typography are reminiscent of famous Blue Note records album artwork. The serif font Clarendon Bold is used for titles and section headings, paired with sans-serif Franklin Gothic for body copy and album credits, giving it a classic 1960’s feel.
The “7 Psalms” typographical lockup draws on several elements of mid-century jazz album design such as oversized letters and cropped forms, serving as both image and typography. It also incorporates a common 1950s jazz approach where title and artist occupied different typographic registers. Album titles were often treated as expressive visual events, while artist names acted as supporting information.
Haunted Blue Album Design
Haunted Blue is a collaborative album that sits at the intersection of jazz, classical art song, and poetry which blends the harmonic language of jazz pianists with the structure and vocal tradition of classical music.
According to Jeremy, “Blue” refers both to mood and to jazz harmony and “Haunted” evokes a dreamlike, in-between state where memory and reality blur.
The album art translates the musical and conceptual ideas of Haunted Blue into a visual language that feels atmospheric, ambiguous, and melancholic - much like the album itself. Typography was left intentionally small and quiet, allowing the image to carry the weight and emphasizing the cinematic elements of the cover art. A haunting, poetic exploration of mood, memory, and sound.
