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As August ends, so do the carefree days of summer. School begins, recent vacations are a fond memory and the temperature begins its slow and steady descent. Don't be sad, though: As Labor Day Weekend approaches, these songs are here to bring summer to a close on a positive note.

Born in the '60s, soul-jazz is a groove-oriented style built from the bottom up. You take a strong bass line, establish a steady groove between the bass and drums, and then embellish that groove with riffs and melody lines that draw heavily from gospel, blues and R&B.

When Coleman's imprint of fire-brazed melodicism strikes you, you may very well have his tunes stuck in your head all night long.

Take Five was founded on the belief that there's as much to be learned from the classics as there is from the here and now. Still, a remarkable wealth of great music is still being churned out by young lions and old giants alike. Here are five of the best new jazz CDs the year has produced so far, with Jeff "Tain" Watts leading the pack.

Because March 8 is International Women's Day, this week's Take Five celebrates six important women in jazz. Three exemplify classic artists who paved the way for women's work in a jazz world once dominated by men, while three are modern innovators.

Martin Luther King Jr. opened the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival with these words: "Jazz speaks for life." The 1960s civil-rights movement inspired blues and jazz songs about the setbacks, hardships and hard-won victories that moved (and that continue to move) America closer to racial equality.

One of the beauties of New Orleans piano music is that once you hear it, you'll know it whenever you encounter it again. It's Mardi Gras week in New Orleans, and we're going to join in the celebration with a brief but broad overview of some of the Crescent City's many extraordinary pianists.

St. Patrick's Day is a holiday when everybody is Irish: wearing at least a splash of green, getting together with friends for a pint or a party, and so on. To celebrate the day, here are some jazz songs that wear the green, at least in their titles, as well as musical tributes to Ireland.

April is Jazz Appreciation Month, as well as National Poetry Month. Hear five songs that were originally written as poems to be read, not as lyrics to be sung. Each jazz artist here transformed a poem into lyrics that fit his or her particular style and phrasing, and then composed music to round out the interpretation.

The flute is one of the oldest known instruments, but it gets little respect. It's mostly known for schmaltzy concert recordings and one particular comedic movie reference. Luckily, the sheer virtuosic force of many jazz artists has lent a cool factor to the much-maligned instrument. Here are five of jazz's best flutists in action.