Freedom, Rhythm and Sound – Chapter Two continues the story of radical jazz and its powerful visual legacy. Following the spirit of self-determination that defined the first volume, this new collection dives deeper into the world of independent and small-label releases from the 1960s, 70s, and beyond—documenting the next wave of creative freedom from artists such as Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

These record sleeves—issued on groundbreaking labels like Strata-East, Black Jazz, Tribe, and Nimbus West—capture a time when musicians were not only shaping new sounds but also controlling how their music was seen and shared. From handmade typography to mystical imagery and bold photography, each cover tells a story of community, spirituality, and resistance.

This new chapter expands the legacy of Freedom, Rhythm and Sound, highlighting the continued evolution of independent jazz as it moved across continents—toward Europe, Africa, and beyond—carrying with it the radical energy that first transformed music, art, and culture.

Freedom, Rhythm and Sound presents a groundbreaking collection of revolutionary jazz cover art from 1965–83. In the wake of the civil rights movement, artists such as Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago asserted self-determination by recording, releasing, and distributing their own music.

Their striking, small-run sleeves—produced before desktop publishing and the internet—are as bold and radical as the music itself, reflecting a spirit of independence and cultural revolution.

This first-of-its-kind collection situates the artwork in its historical context, with features on key figures including Rashied Ali, Steve Reid, Mary Lou Williams, Horace Tapscott, Lloyd McNeil, Tribe, The Last Poets, The Pharoahs, Philip Cohran, and the Black Artists Group.

Bossa Nova and the Rise of Brazilian Music in the 1960s presents a comprehensive collection of album cover art that reflects the cultural and political transformation of Brazil at the dawn of the 1960s. Emerging in parallel with President Juscelino Kubitschek’s ambitious project to build Brasília, Bossa Nova embodied a spirit of optimism and modernism that reshaped Brazil’s global image.

Spearheaded by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, and João Gilberto, Bossa Nova became the first modernist Brazilian art form and one of the nation’s most significant cultural exports. This volume brings together hundreds of rare and striking record sleeves, accompanied by historical context, essays, and biographies of the artists central to the movement.

Edited by Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker, and conceived as a companion to Freedom, Rhythm and Sound, this book documents the intersection of music, design, and national identity during one of Brazil’s most dynamic decades.

Cuba: Music and Revolution is the first-ever collection of Cuban record sleeve design, showcasing hundreds of striking and rarely seen covers produced between 1959 and 1990. Compiled by Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker, this deluxe 250-page book uncovers a hidden history where music and graphic art flourished under the Cuban Revolution.

These sleeves chart Cuba’s transformation from 1950s tourist playground to socialist state, reflecting both the island’s rich Latin musical heritage and the political aesthetics of revolutionary Communism. They capture the roots of salsa and other styles that shaped Latin music worldwide, while remaining largely unknown outside Cuba due to the long-standing U.S. trade embargo.

Edited in full cooperation with the Cuban government, the book represents five years of research by Peterson and Baker, whose previous collaborations include Freedom, Rhythm and Sound and Bossa Nova and the Rise of Brazilian Music. An accompanying Soul Jazz Records album highlights the music of the era, featuring many of the artists celebrated in these pages.