Joshua Redman 'Captured Live': where and how was it recorded?

[MisterGee]

As a tenorsaxophoneplayer I am planning to record a CD with instrumental rock&roll/latin/surf-stuff. It must sound big, rough and vintage. I'm trying to find a recording (made in a studio that still exists) where the tenorsaxophone, being played big & strong, also sounds really big and fat. Too bad I'm not finding anything I like except for: Joshua Redmans' 'Captured Live' (1994). Does anybody know where and how this was recorded?

[mixedupsteve]

This one sounds pretty bold.

RE20 and a 57 (maybe)

[springer]

Gee,
There are a ton out there if you care to listen, but not a ton about what was used and how...
Most of the studio stuff is LDCs and Neumann tube mics like U67 U47, etc...
Dexter Gordon's Manhattan Symphonie comes to mind as extremely FAT.
Now - you wanna talk rolling sax - end your search with Louie Prima's saxman Sam Butera. He has my favorite RR sax sound. Most probably recorded into RCA 44. Check out "Oh Marie" if you can find it - quite possibly the most hair raising 2 chorus solo ever in the history of saxophone.

For your options if you are in a studio that has all available mics choose and engineer that knows what he is doing and blast away. Most of it will depend on YOUR sound and the room.

Good luck.

[MisterGee]

Sil Austin, Red Prysock, Sam Butera: of course I have it all, studied it all (Sam Butera's version of 'O sole mio' actually inspired my to do the project I'm working on now; Los Hollanditos).

Sam Butera also made some records in period 1990s. I have one of those: good band, great playing: but the sound is not right. The sound of the records he did in the 60s (with & without Louis Prima) is so much better!! The same thing with Dexter Gordon and all those tenorplayers. The stronger the sound, the worse the sound of the records after the 1970s. I guess before the 1970s it was all 6- or 8 track analogue recording, with plenty of spill, no close mics on the drums, playing live together in a large room with a high ceiling. I just wonder whether there still are studios that know how to record the old way.

It also seems that this Captured Live record was done this way: I'd like to check that. Still hope somebody knows who was the engineer?!!

[trompetfreak]

I did Joshua monitors a while ago, in the BIMHUIS (Amsterdam, NL). (monitors because he's touring with his own engineer...)

He prefers a TLM103, wich suits him really well. If you're looking for the "Redman" sound, that's your mic!

We rigged Chris Potter up with two TLM170's, one in front, one at the side and for bass-clarinet. This was for a radio recording from the BIMHUIS aswell...

[Daniel Stark]

I think "Live at the Village Vanguard" was mixed direct to 2-track......Anyone know about this one? That could contribute to a great tenor sound.

[MisterGee]

Live at the Village Vanguard is often the best (Sonny Rollins, Coltane, Joe Lovano, Redman) but the sound is not really great. That place is too small to make a great sound, imo. Please listen to 'Captured Live' first; you cannot compare the Vanguard recordings to this one!

Actually I wonder when the recordings changed form 2-track to 6 and 8-track, anybody knows?

[leddy]

Originally Posted by MisterGee

Live at the Village Vanguard is often the best (Sonny Rollins, Coltane, Joe Lovano, Redman) but the sound is not really great. That place is too small to make a great sound, imo.

I love the sound of that room.

[Daniel Stark]

As far as when the recordings changed from 2-track to 6-and 8-track, that would be a long time ago---mid 60's I would say although there was plenty of 3 and 4-track jazz work before that. But 2-track is still alive and well.


Thanks for telling me my reply was off base but you could have been a little more polite. Good luck getting Josh's tenor sound though you will need it.

[OMorgan]

Originally Posted by leddy

I love the sound of that room.

yeah the Bill Evans sessions sound great, although a few times i think the crowd noise gets a bit too much for my taste. Any one have any idea how those sessions were recorded?

O

[Daniel Stark]

they were done with a portable ampex quarter inch machine but i don't know which one.

from what orrin (producer of the sessions) told me, the technique in those days was to get the main mics (or mic) as close to the band as possible without distortion. i believe the instruments may have been mic'ed as well, he was not clear on this point but the spot mics would have been only to amplify the group in the room and not mixed into the ampex.

[OMorgan]

Originally Posted by Daniel Stark

they were done with a portable ampex quarter inch machine but i don't know which one.

from what orrin (producer of the sessions) told me, the technique in those days was to get the main mics (or mic) as close to the band as possible without distortion. i believe the instruments may have been mic'ed as well, he was not clear on this point but the spot mics would have been only to amplify the group in the room and not mixed into the ampex.

Brilliant, I love that approach of one or two mics making such a great recording. I work at a great studio but I sometimes despair of micing drums with 15 mics, guitar with 3 etc. we did a session recently where we took all the acoustic treatment down from the live room, mic'd up the piano through a good pa and put mics all over the room in wierd places and it sounded absolutely amazing once we got it right. micing a moment not a position.

You can hear the closeness of the recording mics compared to older jazz recordins but i guess the 1 or 2 recording mic aproach still kept the interplay between the band, awesome producer!

I was comparing it to the Brad Mehldau sessions recently, great pianist and same room of course but not a patch on the bill evans recordings of the time (though still very good!).

any idea of the mics Orrin would have used?

[Daniel Stark]

i did ask that very question but he didn't know or remember...he hired engineers for his gigs so it's probable that they picked/brought the mics. orrin did work in RVG's studio before starting riverside so he probably used something nice.