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Christian McBride of Jazz Night in America joins NPR's Audie Cornish with a few criteria for what turns a regular composition into a canonized classic.

In celebration of the season, Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt’s brand-new release, The Art of Intimacy, Vol. 2: His Muse, taps the full emotional swing of a love affair – joy to pain, and back again.

It's no secret that Cajun and zydeco music is all about sweat. So you can go to Louisiana for a summertime steambath, or you can bring a bit of the heat to you. Here are five songs guaranteed to get your feet moving, at which point the sweating part will take care of itself.

Kenny Barron is among many great jazz artists who have called Philadelphia home. Now, with over 90 recordings, the revered pianist is not letting off the gas.

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.

Manouche Jazz, commonly known as "Gypsy Jazz," is a blend of traditional Roma music and swing jazz. Originating in Paris in the early 1930s, it was first popularized by guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stéphane Grappelli. Hear five songs from the genre's founders and modern jazz musicians.

WBGO Morning Jazz host Gary Walker shares his favorite jazz recordings of 2007. Among the artists he singles out: Michael Brecker, Abbey Lincoln, Maria Schneider and Ron Carter.

During the 1940s and '50s, Dameron focused his considerable compositional talents on the emerging jazz style called bebop. During a relatively brief period, Dameron composed a body of work that helped define and expand the parameters of this music.

At a time when jazz was not widely seen in higher education, the alto saxophonist brought the wisdom learned on the bandstand to the classroom.

NPR's Scott Simon talks to the British producer, guitarist and vocalist about What Kinda Music, his new album with drummer Yussef Dayes.