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The Van Gelder Sound: A Legacy of Jazz Recordings

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Courtesy Francis Wolff

By Brian Eaton
June 25, 2023
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Rudy Van Gelder (a.k.a. RVG) was one of the most influential recording engineers in jazz. Largely self-taught, he was a true industry pioneer as one of the first well-known examples of an engineer operating a home recording studio and even constructing his own custom-built audio mixer in the early years. As an innovator and perfectionist, he was always looking to improve the sound of his recordings, not just as a technician but as an artist with his techniques. Yet, he was a bit eccentric and secretive about his recording methods.

An optometrist by profession, Van Gelder began his recording career (part-time) in the living room of his parents' Hackensack, New Jersey home. He later left his practice to focus on recording full-time and eventually built a custom studio in nearby Englewood Cliffs that is still in use today. The design of which was inspired by Columbia Records' 30th Street Studio in New York City, a.k.a. "The Church," where Kind of Blue and Time Out were recorded. He recorded thousands of sessions with musicians including John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver, Herbie Hancock, and Grant Green. He also worked with a variety of labels, most notably recording nearly every Blue Note Records session from 1953 to 1967. His fans covet his recordings for their transparency, clarity, realism, warmth, and presence. And his sound, "the Van Gelder Sound," helped define the sound of jazz during the classic analog era (the '50s & '60s) and is an easily recognizable and unique sonic signature.

Van Gelder touched the lives of millions of jazz fans and continues still to this day. We hope you enjoy and, perhaps, acquire a deeper appreciation for "the Van Gelder Sound" with the selection of top albums featured on this playlist: a curation from the expansive volume of classic jazz recordings RVG laid to tape over his six-decade career.

Contact Brian Eaton on All About Jazz.
Brian Eaton is a musician, producer/engineer, and playlist curator for All About Jazz.

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