For Speak Low, blue-eyed-soul legend Boz Scaggs had a sound in mind long before recording his interpretation of jazz standards. But the concept was blurry until he pinpointed the instrumentation: a combination of strings, horns and vibes.

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Fox is a rising star who's invigorating the jazz-guitar tradition. With an amazing set of chops and a pure tone, Fox cooks whether playing bebop or ballads. She plays an original and then tears it up on a Cole Porter tune with Marian McPartland and bassist Gary Mazzaroppi.

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Only a few days after the release of the album Smokin' Sax, and before a date to promote it, saxophonist Johnny Griffin died at age 80 at his chateau in Availles-Limouzine, France. Hear his final U.S. homecoming at the Village Vanguard, recorded live by JazzSet

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In the grand scheme of Tyner's discography (one of postwar jazz's most consistently invigorating), the duets collection Guitars feels like more of a curious one-off than a significant late-career addendum. In his new reinvention of "Greensleeves," the jazz-piano legend collaborates with blues guitarist Derek Trucks.

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He's descended from jazz royalty, and he wears it with pride. But the saxophonist has engineered his own modern and thoroughly personal approach to improvisation. Hear Ravi Coltrane's working quartet perform live at the Vanguard.

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Duke Ellington composed some of the most enduring music of the 20th century, producing more than one thousand lasting works. With groundbreaking hits such as "Sophisticated Lady" and "Mood Indigo," Ellington vividly communicated universal ideas, while inventing musical concepts that helped elevate jazz to a sophisticated art form.

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Jazz is the only genre of music that uses the vibes as a lead or improvisational instrument. It's been a process in helping to save this beautiful-sounding and versatile instrument from extinction. Leading off with Lionel Hampton, here are five examples of that beauty and versatility.

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Jimmy Thackery is a musical hitchhiker: He jumps on Chuck Berry's "Promised Land" and takes off without a second look. The bluesman uses his stinging, ringing guitar to set the pace for a cross-country journey that begins on a bus in Southwest Virginia.

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Tod Machover's goal is to put music into the hands of people who want to play it — or at least imagine it. He and his team at MIT helped to create Guitar Hero, and one of his latest projects helps people with disabilities write and perform music.

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Use this page to chat about tonight's performance at the Village Vanguard. What have you noticed? How does it sound to you?

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A mecca for classical composers looking for ways to bridge music and technology, IRCAM in Paris has been an incubator for some of the most compelling developments in contemporary classical music and acoustics of the past three decades.

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Ljova is wired like an independent musician, in spite of his old-school instrument. He Skypes. He blogs. He posts music on Facebook and YouTube. And he composes by playing his viola into the computer, overdubbing and improvising the parts as he goes.

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Pianist Tardo Hammer is a marvelous bebop player and a sought-after sideman. When he's not playing festivals and club dates around the world, he remains active as a jazz educator. An expert interpreter of the music of Tad Dameron, Hammer plays his tunes and joins host Marian McPartland on "Good Bait."

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To celebrate her July birthday this year, pianist Joanne Brackeen celebrated the musicians that gave her a shot early in her career: Art Blakey, Joe Henderson and Stan Getz. Brackeen unleashes a maelstrom on the keys in a concert recorded at the Jazz Standard by JazzSet.

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Bebo Valdes left Havana 50 years ago, but at the piano, it's as if he's still there. He's not reviving anything; he just kept on doing it the old way, long after music in Cuba had moved on. On Live at the Village Vanguard, Valdes shares billing with his frequent duo partner, bassist Javier Colina.

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After three and a half years spent compiling and then winnowing, Tom Moon's book 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die includes musical benchmarks from all around the world, from the justifiably familiar to the sorely overlooked.

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Bassist Milt Hinton, known as the "Judge," was considered to be the ultimate timekeeper. With his buoyant tempos and fat, booming sound, Hinton provided the rhythmic foundation for many jazz greats.

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Jeffrey Zhang is known for mixing the traditional Chinese opera form with pop music and kabuki dancers. But now he's begun to incorporate free-form jazz piano in a culture clash that's turning heads and winning over new fans.

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Even though there's a stunning array of color in autumn, there's something inherently melancholy about watching the leaves drop. Let these five confessionals prepare you for a season of the high lonesome — a time before a chilly mood meets the rake's progress.

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Kitchell is a singer-songwriter seasoned beyond her years, having previously joined Herbie Hancock on a worldwide tour. For her appearance in Charleston, W.Va., she brought along the Boston-based indie-rockers in The Slip, who appeared on Mountain Stage in 2006. Together, they promote Kitchell's latest album, This Storm.

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