Ru
EnV. Volchenko
Sound engineering of jazz albums by N. Cole in context of the evolution of A. Schmitt's individual style
The subject of the article is the sound engineering practice of Al Schmitt, an outstanding specialist in the field of studio recording of jazz music. In the process of preparing major projects, Schmitt was able to introduce significant technical and artistic innovations, thanks to which the sound balance and complex instrumental microplanes of jazz projects acquired complexity and high detail. As the most illustrative example from the point of view of artistic analysis, the author highlights the recordings of one of the most notable pop and jazz vocalists in the period 1990–2010, N. Cole. Despite a fairly high level of attention from the professional jazz community, Cole has never been considered from the point of view of the filigree technical study of her recordings, achieved thanks to a well-chosen microphone technique for removing the sound signal, complex solutions related to equalization and processing of the sound spectrum of her recordings. The article develops the thesis according to which Cole, who was significantly inferior in the field of vocal talent to the performers of the "golden" age of jazz, E. Fitzgerald, S. Vaughan has achieved significant success thanks to the technically impeccable presentation achieved by means of modern sound engineering. The technological innovations used by E. Schmitt influenced the presentation of orchestral sound, due to which the sound of symphonic jazz and big band compositions in the recording is perceived at a subjective level as an exaggeratedly colorful phenomenon. The aesthetic specifics associated with the complex sound engineering work in the field of emasculating the sound picture, combined with a spectacular set of arrangements, make it possible to neutralize certain vocal flaws and the general chamberlike presentation characteristic of N. Cole.
Key words
Al Schmitt, Natalie Cole, sound engineering in jazz, acoustic music recording, jazz vocals, jazz production.
For citation
Volchenko V. Sound engineering of jazz albums by N. Cole in context of the evolution of A. Schmitt's individual style. In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2024. No. 2. Pp. 73–79.
