Bud Powell - The Amazing Bud Powell: Vol. 1 (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition) (2001)

Under the heading of the "Rudy Van Gelder Edition" series, Blue Note is once again re-releasing some of its most important records.
The series takes its name from the legendary recording engineer who taped most of the label's classic 1950s and 60s sessions. All the CDs are remastered by Van Gelder himself and sound—just as his LP masters from the 1950s and 60s did—rich, warm and wonderful.
The latest batch of Van Gelders is unusual, however, in that they weren't originally recorded by Van Gelder, but other engineers. These sessions date from Blue Note's earliest days, before label founder Alfred Lion employed Van Gelder to oversee, and in many ways, create the label's distinctive sound.
So, these sessions see Van Gelder updating not his own recordings, but the works of Blue Note engineers who preceded him. In some cases Van Gelder is updating the sound not just from tapes but the lacquer disks used to produce old 78s. You couldn't pick a more appropriate, or skilled, person to bring these sessions into the digital era.