Author Archives: Richard Capeless

How a Blue Note Remastering Session Works: DGM Visits Cohearent Audio

Back in 2012, when I first caught the jazz record collecting bug, I quickly took a strong interest in recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder, who recorded for numerous classic jazz labels including Blue Note Records. I had a background as an amateur audio engineer so I was also interested in his methods. On one occasion, I reached out to mastering engineer Kevin Gray, who had been working with Rudy’s original master tapes for several years in conjunction with various jazz reissue labels including Music Matters. … More→

The Deep Groove Mono Classic Jazz Album Art Extravaganza

Ladies and gentlemen, after several unexpected weeks immersing myself in images and history, I present to you the Deep Groove Mono Classic Jazz Album Art Extravaganza! This design love fest has been broken into two parts with links below. The first is an essay on Modern American design and its origins, and the second is an extensive gallery that… More→

Origins of Bop: Maxine Sullivan / Kenny Dorham, “My Ideal”

I’ve been noticing some buzz on the internet about an up-and-coming mono reissuing of Kenny Dorham’s Quiet Kenny by the Craft label, so I thought I’d feature a track off that album for this edition of Origins of Bop. “My Ideal” dates back to 1930, the year of both its publishing and … More→

Introducing “Record Collector Confessions”, A New DGM Video Blog

It is my pleasure to introduce a new Deep Groove Mono video blog (“vlog”, as the kids say) series titled Record Collector Confessions. The inspiration to do this partly came from fellow members of the jazz community who are making terrific podcasts, and it also came from filmmaker Alan Zweig. The confessional style … More→

Shellac Spotlight: Lester Young, “These Foolish Things” / “Jumpin’ at Mesner’s” (Aladdin 124)

Truth be told, I snubbed Lester Young for a long time for the simple fact that he rose to fame during the swing era. I didn’t realize how hip he could be until I heard the Oscar Peterson Trio sessions he recorded for Norgran. From there, something told me to check him out when I started collecting 78s, and sure enough, I discovered the set of… More→

Origins of Bop: Sigmund Romberg, “Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise”

For the first installment of Origins of Bop, we looked at a 1948 bebop classic (Bird’s “Ah Leu Cha”) covered in the hard bop era (by Miles). This time, we explore a jazz standard with roots stretching back much further. “Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise” has been covered by many artists including John Coltrane and Larry Young… More→

Shellac Spotlight: Max Roach Quintet, “Maximum” / James Moody Quartet, “Just Moody” (Blue Note 1570)

There is something to be said about the role exclusivity plays in record collecting and even in music appreciation in general, with this 78 being a prime example. If you’re a collector and you want to preview the songs on this disk, it’s possible to unearth them on YouTube. But you won’t find them on Spotify, and you’ll need to make a considerable… More→

Origins of Bop: Charlie Parker / Miles Davis, “Ah-Leu-Cha”

Welcome to Origins of Bop, a new Deep Groove Mono series that aims to explore the lineage of some of my favorite hard bop recordings. I have always been interested in music history, and with jazz, that has meant finding out more about where my favorite compositions came from. This series is therefore intended to provide some backstory… More→

Shellac Spotlight: Thelonious Monk, “Humph” / “Misterioso” (Blue Note 560)

It’s been several months since I last did a proper record review. It’s a rule of mine to refrain from writing unless inspiration strikes, and it hadn’t until now. I recently received a birthday gift from my significant other in the form of a homemade video. She knows I adore Thelonious Monk, and while the inclusion of some of Monk’s music was a… More→

“Live from Van Gelder Studio”, a New Virtual Concert Series Kicks Off in November

Since Rudy Van Gelder’s passing in 2016, Van Gelder Studio owner Maureen Sickler has been working toward a reopening of the studio, and that time has now come. On Saturday, November 14 at 9:00 P.M. Eastern Time (alternate times for Asia and Europe), Van Gelder Studio will host a virtual tribute concert for legendary composer and saxophonist Hank Mobley. More→