Rudy Van Gelder RIP

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"The man behind many jazz greats has passed away.

Jazz engineer Rudy Van Gelder has died at age 91. He recorded with legendary artists like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and more and an impressive majority of the Blue Note Records catalog. He was viewed by some as the most important jazz engineer of all time. He also worked with Prestige Records and Savoy Records..."

Haven't seen this confirmed by any mainstream press but it's gone up on Organissimo.

RIP, a remarkable life and a huge contribution.

BN.

[elmo]

RIP Rudy Van Gelder

Sad news Rudy has passed away - I shall be playing a some Blue Notes tonight.

elmo

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Threads merged.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Threads merged.

MANY thanks!

BN.

[Richard Barrett]

To me RvG created the sound of recorded jazz.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

To me RvG created the sound of recorded jazz.

From the official New York Times obit (Peter Keepnews)...

"Rudy Van Gelder, an audio engineer whose work with Miles Davis, John Coltrane and numerous other musicians helped define the sound of jazz on record, died on Thursday at his home, which doubled as his studio, in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. He was 91.

His death was confirmed by his assistant, Maureen Sickler.

Mr. Van Gelder, as he took pains to explain to interviewers, was an engineer and not a producer. He was not in charge of the sessions he recorded; he did not hire the musicians or play any role in choosing the repertoire. But he had the final say in what the records sounded like, and he was, in the view of countless producers, musicians and listeners, better at that than anyone..."

Amen.

BN.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

WKCR

Beginning at 6:00 PM this evening (Thurs) WKCR will dedicate thirty continuous hours to airing some of the thousands of jazz sessions recorded over more than half a century by one of the best recording engineers the world has ever known: Rudy Van Gelder.

From John Coltrane's A Love Supreme to Art Blakey's Moanin' and Horace Silver's Song For My Father, Rudy Van Gelder worked with the biggest names and labels in jazz to engineer immersive listening experiences the likes of which no one had ever heard before. Initially an optometrist by day, the Jersey City native followed his ear to Englewood Cliffs, NJ, where he opened his Van Gelder Studio in 1959. The work he did there would eventually earn him an Audio Engineering Society Gold Medal and the trust of musicians such as Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, and Sonny Rollins, as well as make him an asset to labels like Verve, Impulse!, Prestige, and Blue Note.
With his passing today at the age of 91, Rudy Van Gelder leaves behind a legacy that will be heard and appreciated for lifetimes. Join WKCR as we celebrate that legacy with thirty hours of recordings engineered by Van Gelder, on air at WKCR 89.9FM and online at www.wkcr.org until midnight, August 26. "

Listening now. Excellent.

BN.

[Jazzrook]

The first track on JRR today(27/8/16), 'I'll Remember April' from Miles' 1953/54 album 'Walkin''(ESSENTIAL JAZZ CLASSICS), is an RVG recording.
Probably too late to mention on the programme.

JR

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

The first track on JRR today(27/8/16), 'I'll Remember April' from Miles' 1953/54 album 'Walkin''(ESSENTIAL JAZZ CLASSICS), is an RVG recording.
Probably too late to mention on the programme.

JR

Listening to the WKCR retrospective (a lot respectfully on original slightly scratched vinyl) served to remind just how many classic and/or much loved sessions he recorded. I'd forgotten that he also engineered the MJQ's Django etc and the Prestige Rollins dates. Extraordinary achievement.

BN.

[Tenor Freak]

Over on teh old bored King Kennytone used to allege that it was Rudy's cocaine use that resulted in the trebly sound of the RVG Masters re-issues. I always thought this was bollocks, and attributed it to advancing age as high frequencies are the first to go (see George Martin). Anyway, RIP Rudy van Gelder. Apparently he didn't like musicians asking too many questions about the microphones or EQ settings, but produced a mind-boggling range of music. Interesting that he always emphasised the drums and horns on the Blue Notes (at Al Lion's request), often at the expense of the piano, which always sounds to me as though recorded in a cupboard on many of those sessions.

Some of my favourites are the organ sessions he produced, particularly the thousands of Jimmy Smith LPs Blue Note released. Prime example (check out the beautiful version of Flamingo):

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Barney Wilen used to carry his own mikes when contracted to record. On one of his last sessions in New York (enineered by Rudy) he demanded to use them. All hell broke out with Barney shouting "well fuck you then, this dates over before it starts" and storming out. Only persuaded back by his partner. I don't think Rudy V was the sort to use coke? Just very adamant and precise. And justifiably proud.

BN.