Live at the Blackhawk???


OK. So this question actually started as part of the Rudy Van Gelder thread, but I'm curious to see if anyone knows anything about this.

I have a couple of recordings that were done c.1960 at the Blackhawk in San Francisco and they sound really great. Does anyone know if the club had its own recording system or did engineers bring in their own gear if they were going to record there?

The few recordings I have sound remarkably similar: close miked, full sounding, good bass and very smooth, so it would not be a surprise to learn that they were recorded on the same machines.

Anyone know anything about this?
grimace

Showing 1 response by albertporter

In that era it was likely an Ampex 350 or 351. An all tube machine that captured most of the great music of that time.

Tonight my music group was listening to a reissue of the Blue Note, "Cool Struttin" from 1958 ! We were all amazed at the sound quality from this album, especially the perfection in the way the horn section was done.

Of course the talent was beyond the pale, Sonny Clark, Jackie McLean on alto, and Art Farmer on trumpet. Bassist was Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones, both from Miles Davis band.

Sometimes I think we are going backwards. It's just amazing how excellent this LP was, both musically and sonically.