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The classic sound of Rudy Van Gelder. An investigation of the recording techniques used to create the iconic blue note sound
The Blue Note Sound, a “classic sound” created by Rudy Van Gelder in his Hackensack home during the 1950s, is characterized by the techniques he employed in his recordings, imparting warmth, clarity, and precision. This dissertation explores and evaluates Van Gelder's techniques, their effectiveness...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
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College of Music
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613343255101440 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Mathebula, Mthokozisi |
| author2 | Herbst, Theo |
| author_browse | Herbst, Theo Mathebula, Mthokozisi |
| author_facet | Herbst, Theo Mathebula, Mthokozisi |
| author_sort | Mathebula, Mthokozisi |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The Blue Note Sound, a “classic sound” created by Rudy Van Gelder in his Hackensack home during the 1950s, is characterized by the techniques he employed in his recordings, imparting warmth, clarity, and precision. This dissertation explores and evaluates Van Gelder's techniques, their effectiveness, and their potential application in the modern era. This work aims to raise awareness and offers insights and comparisons regarding the unique aesthetics of recordings in jazz. This dissertation takes a self-reflexive approach as it explicitly examines the Blue Note Sound and its effectiveness. To support this, data was collected through critical listening analysis and a comparison of literature, articles, and media captions. The techniques used were based on exploration and experimentation, leading to the creation of the Blue Note Sound, which became the signature sound of the Blue Note Records label in the 1950s and 1960s. This label featured some of the most iconic jazz records of all time. The dissertation aims to demonstrate a clear understanding of the creation of the Blue Note Sound, the evolution of jazz recording sound, and the aesthetics based on specific techniques. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41767 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | English eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:34:38.153Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | College of Music |
| publisherStr | College of Music |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41767 The classic sound of Rudy Van Gelder. An investigation of the recording techniques used to create the iconic blue note sound Mathebula, Mthokozisi Herbst, Theo Blue note sound Classic sound Recordings The Blue Note Sound, a “classic sound” created by Rudy Van Gelder in his Hackensack home during the 1950s, is characterized by the techniques he employed in his recordings, imparting warmth, clarity, and precision. This dissertation explores and evaluates Van Gelder's techniques, their effectiveness, and their potential application in the modern era. This work aims to raise awareness and offers insights and comparisons regarding the unique aesthetics of recordings in jazz. This dissertation takes a self-reflexive approach as it explicitly examines the Blue Note Sound and its effectiveness. To support this, data was collected through critical listening analysis and a comparison of literature, articles, and media captions. The techniques used were based on exploration and experimentation, leading to the creation of the Blue Note Sound, which became the signature sound of the Blue Note Records label in the 1950s and 1960s. This label featured some of the most iconic jazz records of all time. The dissertation aims to demonstrate a clear understanding of the creation of the Blue Note Sound, the evolution of jazz recording sound, and the aesthetics based on specific techniques. 2025-09-11T11:12:02Z 2025-09-11T11:12:02Z 2025 2025-09-11T10:32:24Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters Masters http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41767 en eng application/pdf College of Music Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Blue note sound Classic sound Recordings Mathebula, Mthokozisi The classic sound of Rudy Van Gelder. An investigation of the recording techniques used to create the iconic blue note sound |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | The classic sound of Rudy Van Gelder. An investigation of the recording techniques used to create the iconic blue note sound |
| title_full | The classic sound of Rudy Van Gelder. An investigation of the recording techniques used to create the iconic blue note sound |
| title_fullStr | The classic sound of Rudy Van Gelder. An investigation of the recording techniques used to create the iconic blue note sound |
| title_full_unstemmed | The classic sound of Rudy Van Gelder. An investigation of the recording techniques used to create the iconic blue note sound |
| title_short | The classic sound of Rudy Van Gelder. An investigation of the recording techniques used to create the iconic blue note sound |
| title_sort | classic sound of rudy van gelder an investigation of the recording techniques used to create the iconic blue note sound |
| topic | Blue note sound Classic sound Recordings |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41767 |
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