Double Trio by Nathaniel Mackey

Boyang Xia
2021

Three new books in a limited edition box carry the tradition of the long poem far into the 21st century with a “low-lit, slow-drag ebullience”
First cover: Tej Bet
Second cover: So's Notice
Third cover: Nerve Church

Structured in part after the last three movements of John Coltrane’s Meditation—“Love,” “Consequence,” and “Serenity”—Double Trio stretches Nathaniel Mackey’s explorations and improvisations of free jazz into the unprecedented poetic territory.

In order to tease out the agile qualities of jazz, I designed these action/emotion-charged visuals by giving each figure depth and rhythm. The titles are set in the margins to further anchor the whole series, which presents more room for the dynamic figures to build up in the center.

Designer
Boyang Xia
Creative Director
Rodrigo Corral