# Along Came Betty - Art Blakey ## Recording Information **Album:** Moanin' **Recorded:** October 30, 1958 **Studio:** [[Van Gelder Studio]], Hackensack, New Jersey **Engineer:** [[Rudy Van Gelder]] **Producer:** Alfred Lion **Label:** Blue Note Records **Personnel:** [[Art Blakey]] (drums), Lee Morgan (trumpet), [[Benny Golson]] (tenor sax, composer), Bobby Timmons (piano), Jymie Merritt (bass)[^1] ## Recording Setup [[Rudy Van Gelder|Van Gelder]]'s Hackensack studio (1947-1959) operated in his parents' living room before relocating to Englewood Cliffs.[^2] His microphone choices centered on German tube condensers: Neumann M49s, U47s, and AKG C12s.[^3] Close mic placement on each instrument was unconventional for jazz at the time.[^4] **Signal chain:** Single condenser per instrument with gobos for isolation.[^3] Van Gelder recorded "hot" levels, occasionally allowing slight distortion for character on horns.[^5] He pioneered taking direct out from bass amps, blending with mic'd signals.[^6] Piano received close miking that produced his controversial "murky" sound.[^7] **Speculation:** Van Gelder's "Army Surplus radio console" may have contributed to the signature sound through tube preamp overloading.[^5] He wore gloves when handling microphones and modified them to disguise their inner workings.[^6] ## Production 2-track or 3-track tape to Pultec EQs and LA-2A compressors in mixdown.[^3] Chamber or plate reverb (EMT 140 standard for this period). Van Gelder handled the complete chain from recording through mastering. One engineer claims Van Gelder would "redub the master onto a Magnatone tape deck at +6, compress the crap out of it while adding 5 dB at 5000 cycles"—though this is debated.[^5] ## Notable Characteristics Benny Golson composed "Along Came Betty" inspired by a woman he dated in 1958.[^1] The lyrical, long-lined piece serves as the album's ballad, contrasting with "Moanin'" 's harder drive. Blakey's explosive drumming, captured with room and close miking, drives the track rather than merely keeping time. The 1999 CD reissue includes a conversation between Lee Morgan and Van Gelder reviewing Morgan's solo.[^8] Charles Mingus criticized Van Gelder for changing musicians' tones: "He tries to change people's tones... That's why I never go to him; he ruined my bass sound."[^6] ## Footnotes [^1]: [Wikipedia: Moanin'](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moanin%27) - Personnel and composition details [^2]: [r/Jazz: Rudy Van Gelder Recording Quirks](https://www.reddit.com/r/Jazz/comments/a1m0uz/rudy_van_gelder_recording_quirks/) - Hackensack studio location and timeline [^3]: [r/audioengineering: Gear and techniques from 60's jazz recordings](https://www.reddit.com/r/audioengineering/comments/1i5c4n3/gear_and_techniques_from_60s_jazz_recordings/) - Neumann M49s, U47s, C12s with gobos for isolation, multitrack tape [^4]: Multiple sources confirm Van Gelder's close miking was unconventional for 1950s jazz [^5]: [r/WeAreTheMusicMakers: What Rudy Van Gelder Did "Wrong"](https://www.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/comments/hyavlj/what_rudy_van_gelder_did_wrong/) - "Army Surplus radio console" theory and Magnatone tape deck claim [^6]: [r/Jazz: RVG tribute thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/Jazz/comments/4zju8r/i_hate_posting_thesebut_absolute_recording_legend/) - Direct out pioneering, glove-wearing, Mingus quote [^7]: [r/Jazz discussions](https://www.reddit.com/r/Jazz/comments/a1m0uz/rudy_van_gelder_recording_quirks/) - Controversial "murky" piano sound [^8]: [Wikipedia: Moanin'](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moanin%27) - 1999 CD reissue bonus content #jazz #hardbop #bluenote #rudyvangelder