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Photo by Reed Hutchinson
UCLA Photographic Services
For students, Jeff Richmond is the Wizard of Oz of the recording
studio. |
the invisible facilitator
Capturing the sound of music
BY SIMONE KAPLAN
UCLA Today
Jeff Richmond is present at every musical performance on campus, but
very few people actually know he’s there.
Like the Wizard of Oz, Richmond is an invisible facilitator, making
sure that each concert, recital and presentation goes smoothly.
He doesn’t mind his role behind the curtain, either. As the music
department’s senior electronics technician for 21 years, he’s
devoted to helping others record, edit and compose their own music.
“It’s very rewarding to be with the students and faculty
here, who are working to learn as much about their craft as possible and
to prepare themselves to spend their lives making music,” Richmond
said. “The music business itself would never offer that kind of
gratification.”
Richmond knows whereof he speaks. After earning a B.S. in electrical
engineering in 1974 from Pittsburg State University in Kansas, he decided
that he wanted to be in the music industry. He packed up his family and
moved to Austin, Texas, where his electrical expertise won him a job at
the Austin Opry House, owned by Willie Nelson.
“I’d been helping move some sound equipment before The Byrds
gave a concert,” he recalled, “and right before the show was
supposed to start, one of the guitar connectors broke. No one had the
tools to fix it, but I had stuff in my car so I ran out, came back and
fixed it. The gig went great and Willie’s sound crew was impressed,
so they offered me a job.”
After a year at the Opry House working with acts like Waylon Jennings,
Tom Waits and Kris Kristofferson, Richmond moved to Los Angeles for a
job at Capitol Records, where he helped maintain the equipment that made
8-track tapes. In the late 1970s, Richmond took a job as assistant chief
engineer at The Village Recorder studios in West Los Angeles.
Two years later, while editing a documentary on The Doors’ Jim
Morrison at UCLA’s film school, Richmond applied for and accepted
a position in the music department.
In addition to recording all musical performances, Richmond supervises
the department’s CD dubbing lab and oversees the recording studio,
where music students work on compositions.
He also maintains the audio and video equipment in the music classrooms,
purchases all recording and dubbing equipment for the department and does
some live sound support when guest lecturers and musicians perform.
Some of the artists he’s helped record include Tito Puente, Kenny
Burrell and Elgart & Yates. But Richmond is not motivated by celebrity
names. He loves working with and helping students become better musicians.
“You can make a lot of money in the music industry,” Richmond
explained, “but it’s not very fulfilling. At UCLA, people
are hungry for learning and growth, and that’s a great way to live
your life.” |
