Rudy Van Gelder, legendary jazz recording engineer, dies

NEW YORK (AP) - Rudy Van Gelder, the audio engineer who helped shape the sound of modern jazz on thousands of recordings, including such timeless albums as John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," Lee Morgan's "The Sidewinder" and Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage," has died. He was 91.

Blue Note Records spokesman Cem Kurosman said Van Gelder died Thursday morning at his home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The home was also the site of Van Gelder's studio for more than half a century.

In 1953, Van Gelder began a 14-year association with Blue Note, helping turn the small independent label into a major force in modern jazz on recordings by Hancock, Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver and Eric Dolphy, among others.

He also worked extensively with other leading jazz labels, including Prestige, Impulse! and CTI.

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