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Trustees Award: Rudy Van Gelder

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Fusion star Jeff Lorber pays tribute to innovative jazz engineer
Jeff Lorber
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
GRAMMY.com

As a young music student at Berklee College of Music in 1970, I started to buy what was considered the classic jazz music library and started a lifelong love of music that still sounds as alive and creative today as it did when it was recorded. Later, as I started to pay more attention to the credits of these records, one credit stood out: "Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder at Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey." Obviously, Englewood Cliffs was a magical place where all kinds of amazing recording took place. Horace Silver's Song For My Father and Blowin' The Blues Away;  Sidewinder by Lee Morgan; Life Time by Tony Williams; The Prisoner and Speak Like A Child by Herbie Hancock; The Real McCoy and Tender Moments by McCoy Tyner; Joe Henderson's early records; Freddie Hubbard; Miles; and the list goes on ... and on! These are records that I loved then and I still can’t get enough of listening to.

Of course, the amazing cover artwork of the Blue Note classics helped establish that label as the gold standard of jazz, but without the inspired music and superb recording techniques of Rudy Van Gelder, no one would have noticed. I'm sure that Rudy's training as an optometrist helped him master the new technology of recording and the fine adjustments that are required by a master recording professional and mixer. He astutely chose his tools carefully as newly invented microphones and recording gear became available.

Rudy went on to record and mix an unprecedented number of jazz classics, including works by Bud Powell, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, and Thelonious Monk, among others. He even recorded most of the albums released by Creed Taylor's CTI Records, which were a bit more in the pop and R&B directions, and pointed the way to a more modern style of jazz music production.

I'm glad to report that Rudy is still busy recording. The legacy of the brilliant jazz records he helped bring to life only seems to gain importance as time goes on.

(Four-time GRAMMY nominee Jeff Lorber was a major force in jazz fusion in the '70s, '80s and beyond as a solo artist and as the architect of Jeff Lorber Fusion. Jeff Lorber Fusion's latest album, Galaxy, was released in January.)

In addition to the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy presents Special Merit Awards recognizing contributions of significance to the recording field, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award. Each year, The Academy invites friends and colleagues of Special Merit Awards recipients to pay tribute to the honorees' career accomplishments, while also adding colorful anecdotes and personal accounts. In the days leading up to the 54th GRAMMY Awards, GRAMMY.com will present the tributes to the 2012 Special Merit Awards recipients.

Follow GRAMMY.com for our inside look at GRAMMY news, blogs, photos, videos, and of course nominees. Stay up to the minute with GRAMMY Live. Check out the GRAMMY legacy with GRAMMY Rewind. Explore this year's GRAMMY Fields. Or check out the collaborations at Re:Generation, presented by Hyundai Veloster. And join the conversation at Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

George Jones, Diana Ross and Glen Campbell

Photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage.com

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A Special Affair

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GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 3:22 pm

By Paul Grein

The Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards Ceremony was especially heartfelt this year, a reflection on the mortality of several of the honorees. Glen Campbell, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2011. Three of the recipients died last year: Gil Scott-Heron, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award; Steve Jobs, who received a Trustees Award; and engineer Roger Nichols, who received a Technical GRAMMY Award.

"Hallelujah!" exclaimed Diana Ross, striking a personal note in accepting her Lifetime Achievement Award. "Lifetime Achievement?" she mused. "To me, my lifetime achievement are my children," pointing to her three daughters, two sons and first grandson, who joined her onstage.

Campbell let his wife, Kimberly, offer most of his thank yous, but he did single out the songwriter who gave him "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "Galveston." "I probably wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Jimmy Webb," he said. Campbell was an in-demand Los Angeles session guitarist before he became a country crossover star. In 1969 he became the first country artist to win a GRAMMY for Album Of The Year.

The Lifetime Achievement Award to the Allman Brothers Band was accepted by eight past or present members of the legendary Southern rock group: Gregg Allman, Oteil Burbridge, Warren Haynes, Jaimoe, Chuck Leavell, Mark Quinones, and Butch and Derek Trucks, as well as representatives on behalf of the late Duane Allman and Berry Oakley.

Jaimoe told a funny story about how he came to join the band when he was just 16. "When I met Duane, I was on my way to New York to become a jazz musician and starve to death," he said. "But Charles Otis, who was a friend of mine, always said, 'If you wanna make some money, go play with the white boys.' So I forgot about going to become a jazz musician."

Derek Trucks noted that when the band was founded, "it took balls of steel" to have an interracial rock playing "the chitlin' circuit." Butch Trucks said simply, "Thank you, Duane, for giving me my life."

Scott-Heron was cited for his social commentary and influential role in the development of rap and hip-hop. He died last May, and his Lifetime Achievement Award was accepted by his four children. Daughter Raquiyah Kelly Heron said she thought her father "would be tickled pink" by the award. But she added, "I'm kind of glad it's not televised. He would have probably said something and gotten CBS fined."

George Jones was cited for a career that started with his first album in 1957. Jones has won two GRAMMYs, including one for the all-time country classic "He Stopped Loving Her Today." Like several of the other honorees, Jones primarily thanked his fans "for making my career successful."

The Memphis Horns (trumpeter Wayne Jackson and tenor saxophonist Andrew Love) played on countless hits on Stax Records and Hi Records in the '60s and '70s, as well as sessions for everyone from Neil Diamond to Bonnie Raitt. "It's been a dance of love between me and that trumpet," said Jackson, who singled out Jerry Wexler for his help.

Antonio Carlos Jobim spearheaded the bossa nova sound that swept the globe in the '60s. His Lifetime Achievement Award was accepted by his widow, Ana. Jobim died in 1994.

This marks the second time Jobs' work has been honored by The Academy. He was a co-founder of Apple Computer Inc., which received a Technical GRAMMY Award in 2002. His continuing contributions led to this personal acknowledgement for the visionary, who died last October. Jobs' Trustees Award was accepted by Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, who made note of Jobs' love of music.

"Music shaped his life and made him who he was," said Cue. "When he introduced the iPod in 2001, people asked, 'Why are you doing this?' He said, 'We love music and it's always good to do something you love.'"

Dave Bartholomew is a musician, bandleader, composer and arranger, best known for his work with Fats Domino, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987. Bartholomew wasn't able to accept his Trustees Award in person, so it was accepted by his two sons.

Engineer Rudy Van Gelder has recorded thousands of jazz sessions, including classic albums for Blue Note Records by Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. His Trustees Award was accepted by pianist/composer Cecilia Coleman.

Audio engineer Nichols won six GRAMMYs for his work with Steely Dan and a seventh for his work with John Denver. He also worked a span of artists including Crosby, Stills & Nash to Cher. His Technical GRAMMY Award was accepted by his widow and two daughters.

The German-based company Celemony also received a Technical GRAMMY Award. The company specializes in the digital audio pitch-correction software known as Melodyne. Founded in 2000, the company has just 20 employees, which prompted co-founder Peter Neubacker, to say, "Our company is the smallest ever to win a Technical GRAMMY — and also the strangest." 

News

Trustees Award: Dave Bartholomew

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Dr. John pays tribute to the genius of legendary New Orleans bandleader/songwriter
Dr. John
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
GRAMMY.com

Guys like Dave Bartholomew come along once in a lifetime. Dave gave breaks to so many fantastic artists, from Fats Domino and Smiley Lewis to Johnny Fuller, Pee Wee Crayton, and Snooks Eaglin, and great musicians like Pappa Yellow "Tuts" Washington, Allen Toussaint, Huey Smith, James Booker, and Edward Franks. The list of musicians who played in his band and who he opened doors for is endless.

He is the bluiest, jazziest guy; a man always on top of his game who could pull off big-band hits and small group sessions. Dave is also the most consummate bizness cat I ever met. He always threw everybody out the studio when his sessions wuz going on. He is a trumpet player, songwriter, record producer, big-band leader, bizness man, as well as kindhearted.

For all of his responsibilities, he can keep it all together in times of confusion. No matter what, Dave kept it all rollin', a consummate bandleader. He kept a great band with the best players of the time. He was always ahead of the pack and this racket. He was stone bizness, but he did the best with what he had to deal with. He did so much work at Cosimo Matassa's studio and he got the most from all the musicians he used. He worked for Lew Chudd for many years at Imperial Records till Lou sold the label. Together, they found and recorded some of the greatest music to come out of New Orleans. They say Dave wrote more than 4,000 songs, and he probably arranged thousands more. In 1991 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He's also in the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. He was swing and big band and R&B and rock and roll. Dave never stopped bein' the Dave who played bebop à la blues à la Dave ballads à la Dave totally original. That's Dave Bartholomew.

You touched people all around this world with music, the magic of yo horn, yo productions, and yo genius for putting things togetha.

(Dr. John, aka Mac Rebennack, is a five-time GRAMMY winner, including his most recent award in 2008 for Best Contemporary Blues Album for City That Care Forgot, his ode to post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.)

In addition to the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy presents Special Merit Awards recognizing contributions of significance to the recording field, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award. Each year, The Academy invites friends and colleagues of Special Merit Awards recipients to pay tribute to the honorees' career accomplishments, while also adding colorful anecdotes and personal accounts. In the days leading up to the 54th GRAMMY Awards, GRAMMY.com will present the tributes to the 2012 Special Merit Awards recipients.

Follow GRAMMY.com for our inside look at GRAMMY news, blogs, photos, videos, and of course nominees. Stay up to the minute with GRAMMY Live. Check out the GRAMMY legacy with GRAMMY Rewind. Explore this year's GRAMMY Fields. Or check out the collaborations at Re:Generation, presented by Hyundai Veloster. And join the conversation at Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Al Bell

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

News

Trustees Award: Al Bell

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Huey Lewis on 2011 Trustees Award recipient Al Bell, the man who put Memphis on the map
Huey Lewis
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
GRAMMY.com

In addition to the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy presents Special Merit Awards recognizing contributions of significance to the recording field, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award. Each year, The Academy invites friends and colleagues of Special Merit Awards recipients to pay tribute to the honorees' career accomplishments, while also adding colorful anecdotes and personal accounts. In the days leading up to the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards, GRAMMY.com will present the tributes to the 12 Special Merit Awards recipients for 2011.

Al Bell might be the person most responsible for my musical taste.

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the '60s, with folk music and early psychedelic music as a backdrop, my constant radio companion was soul station KDIA in Oakland. Not the obvious choice for a suburban white kid, but then, my dad was a jazz drummer and my mom loved psychedelic stuff, and I needed something of my own. KDIA was the sister station of the famous WDIA in Memphis. Needless to say, both stations played a healthy dose of Stax records, which were either promoted, commissioned, produced, or written by Al Bell.

Alvertis Isbell was old school before the term. Soul music came from the church, and Al knew the church. As a young man he worked for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and when he speaks the similarity is striking. He came to Stax from radio where he was a DJ, both in Little Rock, Ark. and Washington, D.C. He started as a promotion man. Incredibly hardworking and dynamic, he became a co-owner of Stax and grew the company into the second-largest black-owned business of the '70s. He was incredibly ambitious, famously releasing 27 albums and 30 singles in one month. He was "hands-on," producing and even writing hits for the label including "I'll Take You There" for the Staple Singers. In 1972 he produced Wattstax, the all-Stax concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and the Golden Globe-nominated film about the event. It's been said he "put Memphis on the map," an incredible statement when you consider the vast musical history of the town.

The demise of Stax Records in the mid-'70s was complicated and messy and resulted in Al retreating from the business for several years. But Al Bell is a fighter and he did not give up. With the help of Berry Gordy Jr. he rebuilt his career, first as president of Motown Records and then with his own label, Bellmark Records. And now as chairman of the Memphis Music Foundation, Al Bell is back in Memphis, doing what he's always been doing…promoting Memphis music.

At 70 years old, he seems newly invigorated. He's still a workaholic (his friends say he works 24 hours a day, breaking only at midnight to eat his wife's fried chicken), and still as passionate as ever. When I last saw him in late 2010, it was at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis at a playback party for our new record, Soulsville, which is a tribute to Memphis soul music. He was dressed immaculately, as usual, in a suit, monogrammed shirt, his tie perfectly matching his pocket square, and his cuff links shining. He was complimentary of the album, and especially the song selection, but then I knew we'd have the same taste.

(Huey Lewis, primarily with his band the News, has earned five GRAMMY nominations, including Record Of The Year nods for "The Power Of Love" and "The Heart Of Rock And Roll," and won the Best Music Video, Long Form award in 1985 for Huey Lewis & The News — The Heart Of Rock 'N' Roll. The group's newest album is the Memphis tribute Soulsville.)

This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of The Recording Academy's National Trustees to individuals who, during their careers in music, have made contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording. The Trustees Award was established in 1967. To view a complete list of Trustees Award recipients, click here.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Julie Andrews, Roy Haynes, Juilliard String Quartet, The Kingston Trio, Dolly Parton, Ramones, George Beverly Shea
Trustees Award: Wilma Cozart Fine, Bruce Lundvall
Technical GRAMMY Award: Roger Linn, Waves Audio Ltd.

 

News

Trustees Award: Steve Jobs

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Yo-Yo Ma pays tribute to Apple co-founder
Yo-Yo Ma
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
GRAMMY.com

Before I met Steve, I first had to say no to him. In the early '90s, I was touring like a madman, trying to juggle professional commitments and a home life with a young family, when a call came in. Steve Jobs was getting married at Yosemite and he wanted me to play. I declined with great regret. When we met, years later, I was also introduced to his wife and children. The simplicity, directness and openness of his family really struck me. Steve showed me the things he cared about, and I shared the music I would have played at their wedding. From there, the friendship grew.

There were many more meetings, sometimes for a picnic dinner before concerts, other times grabbing lunch after one of his legendary presentations. Steve was ever eager to share the latest "one more thing." I will never forget how he pulled out a prototype of the iPhone for me and the astonished members of the Silk Road Ensemble at UC Berkeley, or the conversation about intuition versus intelligence and the importance of stimulating disciplined imagination in our students to ensure an innovative workforce. His life's work was a reflection of his father Paul’s lesson: "When you make something, make sure the back is as beautiful as the front, even if nobody sees it."

This last year we had three visits, and in the spring Steve asked me to play at his funeral. I said I would, if he would speak at mine. Needless to say, Steve got his way. I, like so many others, will always be grateful for the impact he had, for the beautiful tools that have helped change my thinking, but even more so for his extraordinary friendship.

(Cellist Yo-Yo Ma is a 16-time GRAMMY winner. His most recent recording is The Goat Rodeo Sessions with fellow GRAMMY-winning string virtuosos Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile. This appreciation was originally published in Entertainment Weekly.)

In addition to the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy presents Special Merit Awards recognizing contributions of significance to the recording field, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award. Each year, The Academy invites friends and colleagues of Special Merit Awards recipients to pay tribute to the honorees' career accomplishments, while also adding colorful anecdotes and personal accounts. In the days leading up to the 54th GRAMMY Awards, GRAMMY.com will present the tributes to the 2012 Special Merit Awards recipients.

Follow GRAMMY.com for our inside look at GRAMMY news, blogs, photos, videos, and of course nominees. Stay up to the minute with GRAMMY Live. Check out the GRAMMY legacy with GRAMMY Rewind. Keep track of this year's GRAMMY Week events, and explore this year's GRAMMY Fields. Or check out the collaborations at Re:Generation, presented by Hyundai Veloster. And join the conversation at Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.