What Really Went on in the Van Gelder Studio?

Speaking of playing favorites, the other night I had a little time to do some mindful listening, so I put on one of my all-timers, Sonny Rollins Plus Four, Prestige 7038, original pressing, original cover, as seen in the accompanying photo. As I’m listening, I’m picturing the musicians in Van Gelder’s studio playing live, looking at one another and giving signals and approvals, all young men in their primes discovering what they were capable of doing and, on this album, doing it as well as anyone ever did it. Then I put on a record I haven’t listened to nearly as often as Sonny Rollins Plus Four, which was Newk’s Time, Blue Note 4001, and I had the same picture in my head with the four musicians on that album, Sonny, Wynton Kelly, Doug Watkins and Philly Joe Jones. And then my mind started wandering and this is what I thought.

In the Van Gelder studio was there a single piano that Richie Powell played on Sonny Rollins Plus Four and Wynton Kelly played on Newk’s Time, and Horace Silver, Bud Powell, Freddie Redd, Sonny Clark, Red Garland, etc. etc., all played on when they did all of the recordings? If so, that would probably be the most recorded piano in all of jazz and would probably be quite a valuable collector’s item. I imagine the answer to that question may just involve a Google search, but I am going to pose it here instead and see what kind of insights we may discover and what else  we may learn with our collective wisdom (not to mention obsessions). Piano is one thing – what about the drums, which are more personal? Did Max Roach bring his own set for Sonny Rollins Plus Four and Philly Joe bring his set for Newk’s time, or was there a common set that all or most of the drummers used in the Van Gelder studio?

This is what I get when I have too much time on my hands.