He had more esoteric tactics, too. The space, designed by an acolyte of Frank Lloyd Wright’s, was “high-domed, wooden-beamed, brick-tiled,” spare, and modern, with 39-foot ceilings, Gitler wrote. The event will stream live online and feature Joe Lovano on sax, Isaiah Thompson on piano, Kenny Washington on drums, and the great Ron Carter on bass. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Rudy Van Gelder was born on November 2, 1924 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA as Rudolph Van Gelder. Richard is the author, developer, and designer of RVG Legacy. The space, designed by an acolyte of Frank Lloyd Wright’s, was “high-domed, wooden-beamed, brick-tiled,” spare, and modern, with 39-foot ceilings, Gitler wrote. For information about visiting the site, contact Maureen Sickler at don@secondfloormusic.com. it is a holy temple in my eyes and ears. Blue Note Records spokesman Cem Kurosman said Van Gelder at his home in The interior of Van Gelder Studio, where dozens of classic jazz albums were made. What Rudy Did Blue Note, Prestige, and Impulse in the '50s and '60s: Rudy Van Gelder made clean, crisp, and meticulously well-balanced recordings from his home studio in Hackensack and later in Englewood Cliffs,… , was recorded at Van Gelder Studios on March 6, 1963. In June 2018, Maureen and her husband, Don Sickler , received the ORATAM Award for preservation of a landmark building (house and studio). Van Gelder in Englewood Cliffs, NJ is walking distance from my work. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the world’s hidden wonders. Van Gelder, probably the most famous and sought-after recording engineer in jazz between 1952 and his death in 2016, had his Englewood Cliffs facility purpose-built in 1959 after a design by architect David Henken. By 1959, though, he’d moved to a purpose-built studio in nearby Englewood Cliffs. More than one musician compared it to a chapel or cathedral—an impression underscored by the fact that so many greats came to record there, including John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, and Art Blakey. This hidden oasis features a stunning view of the Hudson River and the Palisades from a castle-like museum. Rudy Van Gelder commented in the liner notes: “This session was unusual, the musicians came from The Netherlands, but the music comes from here, from the Blue Note tradition that I helped create in my studio. This landmark building is now a vibrant performing arts space with musical acts from around the world. found: Washington post WWW site, viewed Aug. 30, 2016 (Rudy Van Gelder, the audio engineer who helped shape the sound of modern jazz on thousands of recordings, died Aug. 25 [2016] at his home in Englewood Cliffs, N.J.; he was 91; Mr. Van Gelder's home was also the site of his recording studio for more than half a century; Rudolph Van Gelder was born in Jersey City, N.J., on Nov. 2, 1924) The mummified relics of an American missionary. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. To our collective surprise, when listening to the master tape, the stereo was greatly preferred to the (summed) mono. To learn more or withdraw consent, please visit our cookie policy. “How about no lights,” Van Gelder, , before plunging the whole studio into darkness. Rudy Van Gelder, Music Department: Time Piece. Songwriter Leon Russell transformed this church into a recording studio used by many legendary musicians. In December 1972, “Kudu” label released “The Prophet”, the 28th Johnny Hammond album. Get email alerts when there's new posts on dgmono.com: (Photo credit: Francis Wolff © Mosaic Images LLC), Mono Vinyl Playback on a Modern Stereo Audio System, Rudy Van Gelder: A Jazz Collector's Discography, Blue Note Records: A Collector's Guide to Mono & Stereo, Deep Groove Mono's World Famous List of Vintage Jazz Record Collecting Links, The first concert will be a tribute to composer Hank Mobley. How a Blacksmith in Jordan Created His Own Sign Language, In Naples, Praying With Skulls Is an Ancient Tradition, Inside a Domed Pyramid With Astounding Acoustics and a History of Miracles, See the Mysterious Horned Helmet of Henry VIII, Searching for Home and Connection Through Typewritten Poetry, In 1959, Van Gelder quit his day job and moved himself and his equipment to a house in Englewood Cliffs, where he built a new studio. It was recorded in November 1972, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Creed Taylor. By the time he was 20, they were coming to him instead. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. New Series “Live From Rudy Van Gelder’s Studio” (first session 14 November) By londonjazz on 13 November 2020 • ( Leave a comment ) A brand new series of livestreams from Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey starts tomorrow, Saturday 14 November 2020. You can also follow the studio’s new Instagram account to stay updated on events here. Rudy Van Gelder, sound man to jazz legends, dies at 91 Van Gelder left the studio to his long-time assistant Maureen Sickler, who worked with him for … Since Rudy Van Gelder’s passing in 2016, Van Gelder Studio owner Maureen Sickler has been working toward a reopening of the studio, and that time has now come. He was 91. Digitally remastered by Rudy Van Gelder (1998, Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey). Rudy Van Gelder, a renowned recording engineer who captured jazz greats Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and many others in his parents' Hackensack living room and later in … Richard Capeless. With ‘Englewood Cliffs Sessions’ Rob released a traditional Hammond soul/jazz album and reached Hammond fans all over the world. Rudy Van Gelder's recording studio in Englewood Cliffs was a longtime mecca for jazz musicians. Tickets are $15 and can be found at the link below. “My goal is to make musicians sound the way they want to be heard,” he once told the. The Harlem, New York born Willis first entered the hallowed halls of Rudy Van Gelder’s legendary Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey studio as a twenty-two year old graduate of the Manhattan School of Music on January 29, 1965 to record with Jackie McLean for Blue Note Records. She and her husband still record bands in the space—although, she says, it’s less busy than it used to be. now that he has passed, its location has me fearing that it will sell and be demoed. Inspired by his time at the home studio Thelonious Monk wrote "Hackensack". “My goal is to make musicians sound the way they want to be heard,” he once told the New York Times. Take a … and won Henderson a Grammy for “Best Jazz Instrumental Performance” in 1992. https://www.northjersey.com/story/entertainment/2018/02/21/van-gelder-studio-peek-inside-room-where-classic-jazz-happened/913843001/, http://www.nj.com/inside-jersey/index.ssf/2014/11/50_years_ago_john_coltrane_recorded_a_love_supreme_in_englewood_cliffs.html, http://downbeat.com/news/detail/coltranes-lost-studio-album-found, https://books.google.com/books?id=FkVMAgAAQBAJ&q=van+gelder#v=snippet&q=van%20gelder&f=false, https://jazztimes.com/news/vangelders-studio/. All rights reserved. This will be the first of many virtual concerts in a series dubbed “Live from Van Gelder Studio”. Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, June 15, 1970 Notes: Martin Douglas (Aug. 1970) WCHD-FM, Detroit, Michigan Cover: PR 7798 Label: PRST 7798 A permanent exhibition honors Queen, which recorded seven albums at the casino-based studio, including “Under Pressure” with David Bowie. He is known for his work on Time Piece (1965), Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988) and Larry Coryell: Live from Bahia (1992). Life after Blue Note, Impulse and Prestige - and before CD: "MASTER BY- VAN GELDER". LOCATION: Streaming online from Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey TIME: Saturday, November 14, 9:00 P.M. Eastern Time (alternate times for Asia and Europe) LINK: Tickets to Hank Mobley tribute (Live from Van Gelder Studio) You can also follow the studio’s new Instagram account to stay updated on events here. “How about no lights,” Van Gelder reportedly replied, before plunging the whole studio into darkness. There was no doubt that the stereo presentation much more clearly presented the quintet performing these six great tunes that July day in 1960 at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs … its spot on the hudson is worth a ton. Personnel: Johnny Hammond Smith - organJohn Eckert, Jon Faddis, Marvin Stamm - trumpet, flugelhornWayne Andre, Dick Griffin - tromboneTony Studd - bass tromboneJerry … No purchase necessary. Recording Engineer Rudy Van Gelder Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on April 21, 1967. It was created to be “high-domed, wooden-beamed, brick-tiled,” spare, and modern, with 39-foot ceilings, Gitler wrote. He had more esoteric tactics, too. i hope it gets preserved and opened to the public. TIME: Saturday, November 14, 9:00 P.M. Eastern Time (alternate times for Asia and Europe), LINK: Tickets to Hank Mobley tribute (Live from Van Gelder Studio). Rudy Van Gelder, a legendary jazz recording engineer, died Aug. 25, 2016, according to multiple news sources. He died on August 25, 2016 in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. How Did Madagascar Become the World's Biggest Producer of Vanilla? Please click below to consent to the use of this technology while browsing our site. A large boulder marks the place where the island of Manhattan was purportedly sold to the Dutch. Rudy Van Gelder (born November 2, 1924, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA - died August 25, 2016, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, USA) was an American recording engineer who specialized in jazz and became widely regarded as one of the best engineers in recording history. . Van Gelder Studio, which opened in Hackensack in 1952 and moved to Englewood Cliffs in 1959, has one of the most impressive resumes of any jazz-oriented recording studio. One day in September of 1991, the saxophonist Joe Henderson was recording by himself, and requested that Van Gelder dim the lights. The space, was designed by an acolyte of Frank Lloyd Wright. © 2020 Atlas Obscura. LOCATION: Streaming online from Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey Hank Mobley’s 1960 album “Soul Station” was recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs. Van Gelder left his day job and moved his equipment to a home in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, where he built a new studio. Winner will be selected at random on 01/01/2021. “Someone wanted to put a man on the moon, but it was an engineer who got him there.” His process was meticulous, and the particulars of it were closely guarded: , if someone took a photograph in his studio, he’d move the microphones around first so that no one could steal his secrets. One day in September of 1991, the saxophonist Joe Henderson was recording by himself, and requested that Van Gelder dim the lights. The song that followed became the title track of Lush Life, and won Henderson a Grammy for “Best Jazz Instrumental Performance” in 1992. More than one musician compared it to a chapel or cathedral—an impression underscored by the fact that so many greats came to record there, including John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, and Art Blakey. Offer subject to change without notice. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. On Saturday, November 14 at 9:00 P.M. Eastern Time (alternate times for Asia and Europe), Van Gelder Studio will host a virtual tribute concert for legendary composer and saxophonist Hank Mobley. EVENT: Live from Van Gelder Studio Hank Mobley Tribute As a teenage jazz fan growing up in New Jersey, Rudy Van Gelder would head all the way into New York to hear the musicians he loved. His interest in the history of audio engineering began in 2004 while reading the book Temples of Sound.Taking an interest in jazz soon after, by 2012 he was an avid collector of vintage jazz records, specifically those recorded and mastered by Rudy Van Gelder. In the evenings after work, Van Gelder recorded local musicians who wanted 78-rpm recordings of their work. Coltrane’s. Once Rudy got set up and comfortable there, he immediately started perfecting a new room sound that blended the natural reflections of the live room with the EMT 140 plate reverb. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Mysterious 500-year-old tapestries depict a unicorn hunt. By the end of 1954, so many hits had been cut there—and so many record jacket photos taken—that jazz fans the world over were “familiar with the curtains in the Van Gelder living room,” as the historian Ira Gitler once wrote. After those years of part-time recording in Hackensack, Van Gelder decided to become a full time audio engineer in 1959. Rudy Van Gelder, (Rudolph Van Gelder), American audio engineer (born Nov. 2, 1924, Jersey City, N.J.—died Aug. 25, 2016, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.), was regarded as the best recording engineer in jazz.He shaped the sound of thousands of recordings for Blue Note and other jazz labels throughout the 1950s and ’60s and for CTI Records during the 1970s. He is known for his work on Time Piece (1965), Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988) and Larry Coryell: Live from Bahia (1992). Private Trip: Immersive Art and Otherworldly Landscapes of Santa Fe, Weird Homes Holiday Tour: Decked Out Collections, A Holiday Gathering: Food, Foraging, and Mythology, Tales From the Museum: Best of Museums A-Z, Detangling the Devilish Origins of Scandinavia's St. Lucia Buns, This 19th-Century Cocktail Still Fights Cold Nights in the Midwest, Cultural Heritage Is Caught Up in the Conflict Over Nagorno-Karabakh. From 1946, Van Gelder recorded in his parents' house in Hackensack, New Jersey, in which a control room was built adjacent to the living room, which served as the musicians' performing area. ARTISTS: Joe Lovano (sax), Isaiah Thompson (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Kenny Washington (drums) Rudy Van Gelder, left, with Blue Note co-founder Alfred Lion In July 1959, there was a significant change when a new state-of-the-art studio in nearby Englewood Cliffs replaced Rudy Van Gelder… Rudy Van Gelder in 1988 at the home studio that he designed himself in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. James Estrin/The New York Times In 1959 Van Gelder moved to a new, purpose-built studio located at 445 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey where he recorded many more classics including A Love Supreme, His recorded output is staggering both in quantity and quality, both musically and sonically. Atlas Obscura and our trusted partners use technology such as cookies on our website to personalise ads, support social media features, and analyse our traffic. Rudy Van Gelder was born on November 2, 1924 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA as Rudolph Van Gelder. (YouTube) This article is more than 4 years old. It was the place where they created some of their greatest albums. Rudy Van Gelder in his Hackensack studio in his house. The song that followed became the title track of. The Van Gelder Sound continued to evolve at Englewood Cliffs. Van Gelder died in 2016, at age 91, and left his home and studio to his longtime assistant, Maureen Sickler. See. He constructed the now famous Van Gelder Studios (also his home): 445 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs… The dry acoustics of this working space were partly responsible for Van Gelder's inimitable recording aesthetic. Includes liner notes by Nat Hentoff and Bob Blumenthal. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. This landmark jazz venue is the oldest continuously running African-American club in the United States. “Someone wanted to put a man on the moon, but it was an engineer who got him there.” His process was meticulous, and the particulars of it were closely guarded: according to historian David Simons, if someone took a photograph in his studio, he’d move the microphones around first so that no one could steal his secrets. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. As the "go-to" engineer for Blue Note, Prestige, and Impulse in the 1950s and '60s, Van Gelder made clean, crisp, and meticulously well-balanced recordings from his home studio in Hackensack and later in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, contributing to classic after classic. In his recordings, Van Gelder was committed to capturing the warmth and intimacy of live jazz. Originally released on Blue Note (4264). He died on August 25, 2016 in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. In 1959, Van Gelder quit his day job and moved himself and his equipment to a house in Englewood Cliffs, where he built a new studio. Rudy Van Gelder started recording artists such as Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderley in the early 50's, in the comfort of his parent’s living room. It wasn't until 1959 that he opened his studio on Englewood Cliffs and along with Alfred Lion, changed the way Jazz was being recorded. Van Gelder Studios soon became crucial to the development of mainstream jazz in the 1960s. Savoy, Riverside, and other labels all employed Van Gelder, but it was Blue Note that became most closely identified with his particular sound. Coltrane’s recently discovered “lost” record, Both Directions at Once, was recorded at Van Gelder Studios on March 6, 1963. Maureen Sickler, Van Gelder’s long-time assistant, inherited the Englewood Cliffs studio and house after his death in 2016. Jazz, the only truly American art form, is first and foremost an improvisational medium. The continuing LJC mission to track down the affordable good stuff. An optometrist by trade, Van Gelder spent evenings and weekends recording musicians in a studio in his parents’ living room in Hackensack. In 1959, Van Gelder quit his day job and moved himself and his equipment to a house in Englewood Cliffs, where he built a new studio. In his recordings, Van Gelder was committed to capturing the warmth and intimacy of live jazz. The warmth and intimacy of live jazz weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them to! His time at the home studio Thelonious Monk wrote `` Hackensack '' social media to add even wonder... Can also follow the studio ’ s less busy than it used to “. 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