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Chicago-based jazz drummer, bandleader and concert presenter Mike Reed knows how to shape an aesthetic. He's the force behind the Pitchfork Music Festival, but also a musician with a keen eye for source material. Here, he tackles Max Roach's "Garvey's Ghost."

Detroit-born pianist, composer and university professor Geri Allen is a musician of great depth and creativity. Allen's compositional skills are on display as she plays her own tune "Avatar," and she gets together with host Marian McPartland for Charlie Parker's "Another Hairdo."

Her bandmates have called her the best player in their group. But Nelson is content to hunker down in front of her piano, hidden by her cowboy hat. She had to be tricked into recording her solo debut.

The UK neo-soul singer is out with her second album, Pot of Gold. She's known for her collaborations with Massive Attack, The Nextmen and The Quantic Soul Orchestra.

Taj Mahal's new album, Maestro, celebrates an illustrious career, mingling original work with genre classics and songs written by some of the many artists he's influenced, including Ben Harper, Ziggy Marley and Los Lobos. Hear a session from WXPN.

In a concert recorded by Swiss Radio DRS2, the charismatic Richard Bona has a heavenly voice and plays a funky bass. His newest CD is Bona Makes You Sweat, and at the 2008 Basel Jazz Festival, he goes further than that. Bona makes you swoon, sing, stand up and boogie with his band from Africa, the Caribbean and the U.S.

Vocalist Rebecca Parris has won fans and critical praise for her impeccable phrasing and classic sense of swing. Her rich and sultry voice has spawned comparisons to Rosemary Clooney and Dinah Washington, but Parris's sound is very much her own.

Herbie Hancock's album is now considered one of the defining moments in jazz fusion. The Library of Congress is preserving the album in its musical collection as one of the country's most culturally significant audio recordings. Hancock and producer David Rubinson reflect on the album's creation and long-lasting impact.

Pink Martini brought its eclectic stylings to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles this New Year's Eve. With a splash of orchestral strings, smooth lyrics and a swig of a cha-cha, Pink Martini had the crowd raising its glasses for more.

On Jingle All the Way, Bela Fleck and his band The Flecktones breathe new life into the Christmas canon, approaching classics like "What Child Is This" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" with their distinctive, genre-bending fervor. Hear the session from WXPN.