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Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the new reissue of Blossom Dearie's 1959 album, My Gentleman Friend, on Verve records.

In 1957, one of the all-time great jam sessions was televised on a CBS series called The Seven Lively Arts, then made into a record called The Sound of Jazz. Jazz greats Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, and Lester Young perform on this classic compilation. According to Murray Horwitz, "It's like having an outfield with Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays."

In the 1940s and 1950s, some of the greatest jazz and Latin musicians performed together in New York and Havana. This festive album, The Original Mambo Kings: An Introduction to Afro-Cubop 1948-1954, features Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bebo Valdes and many others who capture the spirit of the era.

Pianist Leon Fleisher lost the use of his right hand — but he recently regained it, allowing him to perform a two-hand repertoire for the first time in 40 years.

In 1964, Miles Davis recruited saxophonist Wayne Shorter from Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. This album captures the duo during this important time. Shorter went on to become Davis' most prolific composer, writing classics such as "Prince of Darkness" and "Nefertiti."

The musical quartet Devotchka uses upright bass, glockenspiel, tuba, accordian, trumpet and theramin in an exotic mix of South American rhythms, Eastern European gypsy melodies and North American folk music. Mikel Jollett of Filter magazine reviews the CD How It Ends.

Banning Eyre reviews new albums by two African hip-hop groups, Daara J and X Plastaz. Eyre says their music embodies ways that Africans are debating their cultural identity through music.

Known as "Mr. Swing," Red Norvo became a jazz star while playing an unconventional instrument –- the jazz xylophone. He later switched to vibraphone, and recorded with such legends as Benny Goodman and Dizzy Gillespie. On The Savoy Sessions, Norvo teams with bassist Charles Mingus and guitarist Tal Farlow.

The L.A.-based Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra is breaking new musical ground and expanding audiences. The group presents hip-hop in symphonic form, with a wide variety of musicians from various segments of the Southern California music scene. Fawnee Evnochides reports.

Just in time for Fat Tuesday, critic Michelle Mercer has a review of the four-CD set Big Ol' Box of New Orleans. It features a number of different musical styles popular in the Big Easy throughout the years.