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Irakere was formed in Havana, Cuba in the late 1960s by the masterful pianist Jesus Chucho Valdes. Its music ranges from Afro-Cuban to bop. The album, The Best of Irakere, has a playful cover of a Mozart concerto, among other diverse tracks.

Romania's Shukar Collective brings together young musicians from Bucharest's dance and electronic scene and a group of older Gypsy performers from the rural usari or "bear tamer" tradition. Together they make modern music with a traditional Romanian soul. Chris Nickson has a review of their CD Urban Gypsy.

Ray Charles once said that blues sensation Louis Jordan was his biggest influence. This album covers Jordan's career from 1942 to 1951, when he had an unprecedented 57 hits on the R&B charts.

With a career that spans over four decades and 50 recordings, John Abercrombie is an established master of the jazz guitar. He says his new CD, The Third Quartet has the sound of 20th century classical music.

George Benson helped kick-start "smooth jazz," that not-so-distant cousin of "easy listening." But before that, Benson's early records — including the spry It's Uptown, which he recorded at age 23 — are more musically adventurous.

Prolific "alt country" singer-songwriter Ryan Adams' second solo CD, Gold, was a huge hit in 2001. But for his follow-up CD Demolition, Adams had to choose from at least four CDs' worth of songs — all of them tracks he cut as demos. He talks with All Things Considered guest host John Ydstie about the writing process and the rock 'n' roll life.

Like many at the Fania label, salsa bandleader Ray Barretto recorded quickly and often: Barretto Power is one of four albums he released in 1972. Some, inevitably, are duds, but this one is incandescent, exemplifying the label's genre-crossing creativity.

Terence Blanchard was born in New Orleans — a place where it means something to take up the trumpet. The trumpeter honors the legacy of jazz legend Louis Armstrong at the 2007 University of Michigan Jazz Festival recorded by JazzSet.

Last night, the Album of the Year Grammy went to an underdog — Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters. Though the Joni Mitchell tribute doesn't rank among Hancock's best work, Tom Moon says that for those who know the pianist, the unlikely honor isn't really so unlikely.

Baker's legacy may be debated, but his artistry shouldn't be. On the eve of a new biopic starring Ethan Hawke, here's an introduction to the trumpeter and vocalist.