JAMES FARBER

ASK THE AVERAGE JAZZ-LOVING AUDIOPHILE TO LIST HIS FAVORITE RECORDING ENGINEERS, AND SUCH ICONS AS RUDY VAN GELDER, ROY DUNANN, AND FRED PLAUT WOULD TOP THEIR LISTS. BUT IF YOU ASKED A HANDFUL OF CURRENT AND RECENT NEW YORK CITY JAZZ MUSICIANS TO CITE THEIR FAVORITES, ONE NAME WOULD LEAP TO THE FRONT OF THE PACK: JAMES ALLEN FARBER.

- BY KEN MICALLEF

Farber's engineering and mixing credits span nearly 1000 albums, dating from the mid-1970s to the present day. He has won five Grammy Awards, in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album (three times), and Best World Music Album categories. The New Jersey native has worked with jazz artists as diverse as Michael Brecker, Melissa Aldana, Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Brad Mehldau, Joshua Redman, Ravi Coltrane, Jerome Sabbagh, John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, and Dave Holland. And many more.

Farber got his start in the 1970s as an assistant at New York City's famed Power Station. He went on to work at Sear Sound and Reservoir Studios (formerly Skyline). Soon, Farber found high-profile favor with such mainstream artists as Nile Rodgers, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Philip Glass, Rickie Lee Jones, Talking Heads, Traffic, Carly Simon, Madonna, Laurie Anderson, Diana Ross, Patti Austin, and Graham Parker.

During a recent visit to Power Station, one step into the studio's large, wood-paneled Studio A revealed the sound that Farber has so beautifully captured. Yes, this is the room—the sound—with its honest acoustics and the purity. This is how Farber is able to avoid the capsule-like sheen of studio production. It starts with the room. On such albums as Michael Brecker's Impulse! debut, Melissa Aldana's Visions, Joshua Redman's Wise, and Jerome Sabbagh's Vintage, Farber masterfully—magically—seemed to remove production artifice, leaving only the communicative spell of master jazz players.