Jazz Recordists

When one thinks of the great recording engineers who have indelibly shaped the recorded history of jazz music, names like Rudy Van Gelder [Tape Op #43] or Fred Plaut might readily come to mind. But if you were to ask some of the most prominent jazz musicians of the last 25 years...

Earlier last year I had the pleasure of mixing a CD for the Portland Cello Project. The album featured many guest artists, and one of my favorites was Musée Mécanique's version of their song "Under Glass", which also appears on this album with fewer cellos. Micah...

Wayne Peet is an accomplished pianist/keyboardist and a first call player in the jazz/new music/avant-garde scene in Los Angeles, but he's also known as an excellent recordist, mixer, mastering engineer, and studio owner. The list of artists he's recorded spans genres...

Rudy Van Gelder's legend looms large, yet he has avoided most interviews throughout his 50-plus years in the recording biz. He has never discussed his techniques, and even in the following interview he didn't divulge details. Van Gelder is best known for the LPs he...

What do bands do for fun in between albums? A collection of cover songs! Tunes by artists like The Cure, Papas Fritas, Steely Dan (!), Serge Gainsbourg, The Go- Betweens (my favorite) get the breezy Ivy treatment. Most tracks were recorded at their own Stratosphere Sound in NYC...

While some of my favorite albums were made in huge studios with big budgets, I'm also very excited about records made under less ideal circumstances. I find it really inspiring when timeless records can be made by people with limited experience and resources. For this...

A studio manager juggles responsibilities and must also find the time and space for creativity. It takes a level head and a scopic vision to stay sane and to be brilliant. Knitting Factory Recording Studio manager Sascha Van Oertzen runs her Studio with an ease that only comes...