Con McHugh's artwork for Adrian Cox presents jazz in a fresh and original light

Internationally acclaimed jazz clarinettist Adrian Cox is set to release a new EP. And he's teamed up with rising star illustrator Con McHugh to create a visual world that's as fresh and vibrant as the music itself, including album artwork, typography and an animated event poster.

Adrian, 40, is widely regarded as one of the leading exponents of the New Orleans clarinet, known for his unrivalled feel and virtuosity. His impressive career includes collaborations with jazz luminaries like Wynton Marsalis and performances with jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in both London and New York. With a gruelling tour schedule that has taken him to over 30 countries in the past 18 months alone, he continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

For his latest project, the star sought out illustrator Con after being "blown away" by the artist's poster for the 2024 Bristol Jazz Festival. Their collaboration aimed to create album artwork and promotional materials to bridge the gap between traditional jazz imagery and contemporary design.

"We didn't want to pigeonhole the music with really traditional artwork, as it so often is," Cox explains. That style of music, to me, was so far ahead of its time (and still is). We wanted it to feel truly accessible to all."

Meeting of minds

Con, known for his clever looping drawings and rhythmic analogue animations, sets the scene. "Adrian was beginning work on a new ragtag jazz EP and wanted to collaborate on the album artwork and a tour poster," he recalls. "I was beyond excited. This was the kind of project I'd been hoping for since kicking off my illustration career in earnest last year."

And the partnership has been a fruitful one. "Adrian's very much been the dream client from the start, trusting me to take the lead in the artistic process," says Con. "We sat down together and chatted about what, strategically speaking, Adrian wanted from the collaboration."

The musician didn't want to pigeonhole the music with really traditional artwork but to make it feel truly accessible to all. Consequently, the pair decided their challenge was to "create a visual world that would be respected by his loyal audience, whilst also appealing to a new, younger generation of 'jazz-curious' folk too. It needed to feel timeless but contemporary."

Researching the heritage

Next came the research. "With the music yet to go into production, this involved a lot of looking into the context and heritage of the sound: New Orleans in the birth of the Jazz era. I watched documentaries, doodling ideas as I went. I watched Adrian's back catalogue of live performances, too. He doesn't know this, but I became a big fan of his during this time – so much so that when it came to our first concept share, I felt like I was dialling in a celebrity."

"Our concepts were really varied at the start," he continues, "allowing Adrian to make significant decisions about what felt right for him and his music. They involved sketches of Mississippi critters playing musical instruments – we're hoping to bring that one back for a future album – dancing musical notes and, of course, wobbly typography, all born from our New Orleans references of blue paving tiles and French-inspired typography."

Adrian's trust in Con became even more important when it came to the album cover, where they looked to do something a little more unexpected.

"The aim was to create a little moment of storytelling you didn't see straight away," explains Con, "where you wouldn't realise it was drawn with an aux cable until you flip the record sleeve over and see the back."

The result is a visual style that feels both timeless and contemporary, well-positioned to appeal to Adrian's loyal fan base while attracting a new generation of jazz-curious listeners. "I'm proud of the final result, and it's had such a lovely reaction from both the jazz community and fellow illustrators, too," says Con. "I'm hoping Adrian and I will be collaborators for a long time to come."