ABSTRACT
The chapter focuses on records of Swedish jazz and argues that it is important to regard the liner notes and covers that adorned vinyl records as a means of selling the record that influenced the meaning of the music. American record companies generally made own covers for their issues of Swedish jazz so they could be adjusted to the American market. The target audience was positioned in the domain of hi-fi enthusiasts and the newly arising masculinity that championed stylish and sophisticated commodities.
Focusing on four case studies, the chapter details the interactions in the networks that these records created. The case studies indicate the importance of some specific actors and show how records influenced reviewers and how various actors and objects were used to “sell” Swedish jazz. Liner notes used the established narratives on Swedish jazz and maintained and adjusted them, shifting from describing Swedish jazz as similar to American—and thereby emphasizing its quality—toward a distinction from American jazz—positioning it as being original and not a copy.
