Blue Note Recordings by Rudy Van Gelder

I found a love for Jazz around at around 18 and started slowly built my collection, with the Thelonious Monk album Monk's Dream, and The Chess Box :Muddy Waters.
 As I listened to and joined the local Jazz Radio station KLON I discovered Horace Silver's Song for My Father, which was shortly added to my library.   I was so impressed with Horace's fluididty and prancing across the piano, I went out and got Blowin' the Blues Away, but when I played this CD I instantly heard.... more.  

That is the best way I can describe it, More; more depth, more richness, more spectrum of tone, to take a pun from the album's title I was Blown Away.  After looking over the liner notes the Recording Engineer Rudy Van Gelder was the reason for More.
His influence on recording the piano and the jazz ensembles is the Eleven on Nigel Tufnel's Spinal Tap Amp.  I traded in several of my non RVG recordings for ones with his masters touch, and have been slowly collecting RVG recordings by all of the great Blue Note Artists.  See the sidebar for a list of what I have complied so far.  I would recommend every one of them, and have a playlist based on the search for Rudy Van Gelder rather than individual artists, his influence is that noticeable.

If you have Birth of Cool, which you SHOULD, or if not get Budo (2000 Digital Remaster) (Rudy Van Gelder Edition) and compare for yourself, best with comfortable full range headphones.