Hank Mobley’s 1960 album “Soul Station” was recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs.
Van Gelder Studio, which opened in Hackensack in 1952 and moved to Englewood Cliffs in 1959, has one of the most impressive resumes of any jazz-oriented recording studio. John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme was recorded there, as were works by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Sonny Rollins, Coleman Hawkins, Art Blakey, Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard and countless others.
For the first time, the studio will offer the general public a peak inside via a video stream, Nov. 14 at 9 p.m. EST. Bassist Ron Carter, saxophonist Joe Lovano, pianist Isaiah J. Thompson and drummer Kenny Washington (plus “surprise guests”) will present a tribute to the late saxophonist and composer Hank Mobley, who recorded there frequently throughout the ’50s and ’60s. The musicians will play Mobley’s music and share stories about recording in the studio.
The stream will be part of “Live From Van Gelder Studio,” a new 10-show online series that will be available at VanGelder.live. Tickets for the Nov. 14 stream are $15.
No other offerings have been confirmed yet.
The studio itself is still active, though founder Rudy Van Gelder died in 2016.
Trumpeter, producer and arranger Don Sickler, one of the co-producers of the series, says in a message on the VanGelder.live website, “If there is one thing that 2020 has taught us, it’s that innovation is required. One of the unfortunate outcomes of the pandemic is how it has affected musicians, many of whom earn their living playing live. This series will allow us to open up our doors again and for the first time, give a global audience a behind the scenes peek at our famed sound. One you can hear and see.”
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