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For over 100 years, the composer's "Allegretto" movement from his Seventh Symphony has haunted musicians and music lovers. Once you start to listen, says pianist Helene Grimaud, you simply can't do anything else.

In his new book, the guitarist, singer and songwriter shares stories from life growing up in a musical household and talks about collaborating and sharing the stage with the likes of Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra and Paul McCartney.

Singer and pianist Bobby Short has one of the most distinctive voices in the music world, and for 37 years he's been holding court in one of the most distinctive jazz venues around — the Cafe Carlyle in Manhattan. Now 80 years old, he's still going strong, and talks to NPR's Tavis Smiley about his long career.

Books about music are notoriously poor at describing the abstraction and subtlety of a melody, but these three books sing like the real thing.

Robin D.G. Kelley's new book, Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, focuses on the career of the eccentric jazz pianist and composer. It reveals new details about Monk's life, music and mental health problems, and provides a glimpse into the New York jazz scene of the mid-twentieth century.

The South African trumpeter is one of the giants of African music. Over his long career, he pioneered jazz fusion and even managed to bump the Rolling Stones from the U.S. charts. Still, at age 74, he says, "I feel like I'm just beginning."

Saxophonist Gabe Baltazar is one of the last living links to an era when Asian-Americans began to make a name for themselves in jazz. Now, at the age of 83, he's sharing his story in an autobiography.

Rock historian Ed Ward reviews a new history of gospel music, People Get Ready! by Robert Darden.

Music critic Michelle Mercer spent nearly three years working on a biography of jazz legend Wayne Shorter. In the process, she learned a lot about Shorter, his music — and the importance of the silence between sounds.

Impulse Records was launched during a golden age of jazz and it featured a variety of legendary artists — from John Coltrane to Ray Charles. Its edgy sound reflected the turbulent politics of the 1960s, the author of a new book about the label says.