Friday Album Cover: Best of 2010

Inspired by the good folks at Accujazz, I decided to throw in my 2 cents and list my favorite album covers of 2010, with some commentary where applicable. As I've mentioned before, good album art cannot make up for bad music, but a good cover can give an album I like some extra juice. Below are my picks.

Jason Moran

TEN

 

A throwback to the classic Blue Note album covers of the 1960s, with sans serif typography and a minimalist design. What's not to love?

The rest of my picks after the jump.

Avishai Cohen

Introducing Triveni

Triveni refers to the confluence of the three holy rivers in the Hindu tradition, the physical rivers Ganges and Yamuna, and the mythic Saraswati River. The album cover reflects these mixed waters, which are beginning to coalesce into a new solution but still retain some of their own properties.

Vijay Iyer

Solo

Like his last trio album, Iyer's solo album features a sculpture by contemporary artist Anish Kapoor. It is a minimalist monolith with the secrets of the universe trapped inside.

Dave Holland and Pepe Habchuela

Hands

Two sets of strings forming a peace sign? Strings from different cultural traditions born out of the same roots? A bass and a guitar stacked on top of one another?

Chris Lightcap's Bigmouth

Deluxe

 

I still haven't checked this album out (I know, I know), but if I had initially wavered on listening to it, the cover would have pushed me off the fence.

What other albums should I consider? Suggestions in the comments...