Reice Hamel
Encyclopedia
Reice Hamel was an American Audio Recording engineer. He is considered, along with his colleague Wally Heider
, to be the pioneer of complex live remote recording
. He recorded under the company name, Reice Hamel Recording USA.
of Manhattan
, NYC
on June 18, 1920. His mother, Freida Bernstein, and Father, Leo Hamel, were Jewish immigrants from Austria
who came to America in the early 1900s. During World War II
he was a Navy Lieutenant, Chief Radio Officer. After the War he worked for International Telephone and Telegraph as a field engineer and was also a freelance television technician in Manhattan, NYC. In 1956 he became interested in Audio Engineering and Magnetic Tape Recording and decided to try it as a business. He used a modified Ampex 601
tape deck to record his first performance, a Girl Scout
round-up in the middle of the Idaho
forest.
, Purple Onion
, Jazz Workshop, Curran Theatre
, the Cellar and the Blackhawk on any given evening there would be legendary comedians, singers and bands of all types. Reice Hamel became the recording engineer to stars when he was granted the job of recording a well known Jazz group called the Cannonball Adderley Quintet. The recording was to take place at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco.
The legendary record producer Orrin Keepnews
started a small record label, Riverside Records
, and he commissioned Reice Hamel on Oct.18.1959 to record the two day session. The recording and subsequent album that resulted became, according to Keepnews, " one of the most exciting, influential and successful live recordings in modern Jazz
History ".
The success of the Cannonball recording propelled Reice Hamel into national attention and he was nominated for a Grammy Award
for recording excellence. This was the first Grammy Awards and he was the first engineer to be nominated. After all the success Reice Hamel went back to the work bench and improved his electronic circuits. Ampex
Corporation, the maker of his tape deck, used him as a field test engineer to improve the design of tape decks during that era. In 1963, at the Hungry I club, a young teenage singer made her debut, recorded by Reice Hamel, her name was Barbra Streisand
. Many of the early recordings that he did in the San Francisco area where done out of his Porsche
convertible
and later in his custom VW bus
mobile recording studio.
where captured on tape by Reice Hamel using his custom designed recording systems.
These recordings are of exceptional sound quality and in 1962, Seymour Solomon, of Vanguard Records
wrote a letter to thank Reice Hamel for the tapes.
Wally Heider
Wally Heider was an American recording engineer and recording studio owner - History :After a distinguished career as an engineer in the 1940s and 1950s, he was instrumental in recording the San Francisco Sound in the late 60s and early 70s...
, to be the pioneer of complex live remote recording
Remote recording
Remote recording, also known as location recording, is the act of making a high-quality complex audio recording of a live concert performance, or any other location recording that uses multitrack recording techniques outside of a recording studio. The multitrack recording is then carefully mixed,...
. He recorded under the company name, Reice Hamel Recording USA.
Early Years in New York
Reice Hamel was born in the lower east sideLower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, NYC
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on June 18, 1920. His mother, Freida Bernstein, and Father, Leo Hamel, were Jewish immigrants from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
who came to America in the early 1900s. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was a Navy Lieutenant, Chief Radio Officer. After the War he worked for International Telephone and Telegraph as a field engineer and was also a freelance television technician in Manhattan, NYC. In 1956 he became interested in Audio Engineering and Magnetic Tape Recording and decided to try it as a business. He used a modified Ampex 601
Ampex 601
The Ampex 601 was a portable analog reel-to-reel tape recorder produced by from the late 1950s through the 1960s. Ampex manufactured a singe-channel model and dual-channel version . The suitcase-sized, 26lb unit was designed for the professional recording applications...
tape deck to record his first performance, a Girl Scout
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
round-up in the middle of the Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
forest.
Alone in San Francisco
The business of recording was a new frontier in America during the 1950s so he moved west to San Francisco, a city filled with new ideas and talent. In the 1950s San Francisco was a hot bed of talent and in small night clubs like the Hungry IHungry i
The hungry i was originally a nightclub in North Beach, San Francisco. It was launched by Eric "Big Daddy" Nord, who sold it to Enrico Banducci in 1950.-The name:How the club's name came about is something of a mystery...
, Purple Onion
Purple Onion
-Credits:Musicians*Les Claypool - bass , vocals, percussion , guitar , whamola , drums *Jay Lane - drums *Mike Dillon - vibraphone , metal drum , percussion , tabla baya , pandiero , electric bow & arrow , metal sounds , cuica , marimba , metal , tabla *Skerik - saxophone , "fancy" sax...
, Jazz Workshop, Curran Theatre
Curran Theatre
The Curran Theatre is located in San Francisco and was named by its first owner, Homer Curran. The theatre is currently owned by Carole Shorenstein Hays and is operated by SHN - Overview :...
, the Cellar and the Blackhawk on any given evening there would be legendary comedians, singers and bands of all types. Reice Hamel became the recording engineer to stars when he was granted the job of recording a well known Jazz group called the Cannonball Adderley Quintet. The recording was to take place at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco.
The legendary record producer Orrin Keepnews
Orrin Keepnews
Orrin Keepnews is an American writer and jazz record producer. In June 2010, he received a lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts.- Career :...
started a small record label, Riverside Records
Riverside Records
Riverside Records was a United States record label specializing in jazz. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer under his firm Bill Grauer Productions, Inc. in 1953, the label was a major presence in the jazz record industry for a decade...
, and he commissioned Reice Hamel on Oct.18.1959 to record the two day session. The recording and subsequent album that resulted became, according to Keepnews, " one of the most exciting, influential and successful live recordings in modern Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
History ".
The success of the Cannonball recording propelled Reice Hamel into national attention and he was nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for recording excellence. This was the first Grammy Awards and he was the first engineer to be nominated. After all the success Reice Hamel went back to the work bench and improved his electronic circuits. Ampex
Ampex
Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff. The name AMPEX is an acronym, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence...
Corporation, the maker of his tape deck, used him as a field test engineer to improve the design of tape decks during that era. In 1963, at the Hungry I club, a young teenage singer made her debut, recorded by Reice Hamel, her name was Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
. Many of the early recordings that he did in the San Francisco area where done out of his Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
convertible
Convertible
A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
and later in his custom VW bus
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
mobile recording studio.
Joan Baez Concerts 1962
The legendary outdoor performances of Joan BaezJoan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
where captured on tape by Reice Hamel using his custom designed recording systems.
These recordings are of exceptional sound quality and in 1962, Seymour Solomon, of Vanguard Records
Vanguard Records
Vanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary...
wrote a letter to thank Reice Hamel for the tapes.