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Everybody loves Cole Porter. But most jazz musicians really love Cole Porter. Singers love his lyrics, which showcase great wit, amazing rhymes and beautiful imagery. Instrumentalists love his elegant melodies and sophisticated song structures. Celebrate Porter's birthday with Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Nellie McKay and more.

One of the beauties of New Orleans piano music is that once you hear it, you'll know it whenever you encounter it again. It's Mardi Gras week in New Orleans, and we're going to join in the celebration with a brief but broad overview of some of the Crescent City's many extraordinary pianists.

Much of today's best Latin jazz embraces old traditions to create something new. NPR Producer Felix Contreras spotlights five female singers whose sounds borrow equally from Latin music and jazz.

The nation's blowhards have just a few days left to indulge in a time-honored quadrennial tradition: announcing that, if a certain candidate is elected president, they'll pull up stakes and move to Canada. Before jumping in the car and heading north, get to know some of the music that you'll soon call your own.

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.

NPR Music ended 2008 the way the previous 29 have for NPR and its jazz partner WBGO: with live jazz, all night long. Toast of the Nation features jazz groups welcoming the new year across the country, from New York to Los Angeles, Boston to New Orleans. Here's a preview of the night's artists.

Notes from an unamplified double bass rank among the most beautiful man-made sounds; in jazz, the creator of those notes is always in the middle of the action, charting the harmonic direction of a band and plotting the rhythmic narrative as both an accompanist and a soloist. It's no small task, but here are five musicians who performed the duty with aplomb.

Money is on everyone's mind right now. Maybe you're worried about your own money, worried about the state of the world economy or just relieved to have a job and a paycheck. Got the money blues? Listen to these five jazz tunes — a good investment for your ears and your soul.

How would you introduce someone to the jazz of today? We asked young jazz fans — none older than 24 — who run promising jazz Web sites to write about their five-album introductions to modern jazz. Here are highlights from our guest contributors.

It's early November, and for many in America, that means that when we go outside, we're likely to get wet. Whether we're dodging sprinkles, showers or downpours, November is part of a rainy season. Hear five songs from vocalists inspired by rain, including Gene Kelly, Patricia Barber and Mahalia Jackson.