He has been described as the most important recording engineer of jazz. Over a period of more than 50 years, Van Gelder recorded several thousand jazz sessions. Some of these recordings are recognized as classics. He recorded many of the great jazz musicians, including John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, and Horace Silver. He worked with many record companies but was most closely associated with Blue Note Records.