Artisan

ARTISAN is the new record series created by Sam Records and Saga designed for all jazz music and record cover art lovers.

By the late 1940s, the emergence of vinyl records created new opportunities for graphic artists to express their talent. The new 12” square format seemed particularly suitable for experimentation and many labels became reputed for their innovative designs. Amazingly gifted artists such as David Stone Martin, Jim Flora, Pierre Merlin, Burt Goldblatt or Reid Miles, to name just a few, made a name for themselves illustrating or designing jazz record covers.

ARTISAN will reissue some of the rare and beautiful records that have made the fine days of the vinyl era. We will also issue previously unreleased recordings by some of the greatest performers of blues and jazz.

Every album cover will be manually screen-printed, making each record a unique object. Screen printing is well known to provide vivid colors and refined details, and we have selected the best inks and papers to produce the highest quality record covers possible. The print run for each album will be limited to 300 copies and there will be no repress.

In addition to the fine cover prints, ARTISAN will bring the same level of quality as our previous Sam Records / Saga releases, including meticulous sound restoration, 180g pressing and booklets with photos and liners.

We sincerely hope that you will enjoy this new series. Stay tuned to get the latest info on our upcoming release!