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She says she never encountered any other female jazz guitarists growing up. But then again, Mary Halvorson is no run-of-the-mill jazz guitarist. She demonstrates her unique, hard-edged attack with her trio on WNYC's Soundcheck.

After a career built on romantics like Rachmaninoff and Chopin, pianist Helene Grimaud turns to the music of J.S. Bach with a combination of reverence and playfulness. Hear the new CD in its entirety, one week before its release.

Certain albums seem to lend themselves to a particular season. Some bands make music that beautifully accompanies those long, lazy summer days spent in the shade. Other artists, like today's group, Suturee, perfectly compliment the bleakness of winter, even though the band is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Suturee's self-titled debut album is mellow and melodic without being dull or depressing, or aggravating your Seasonal Affective Disorder.

In honor of Miles Davis' 50th-anniversary Kind of Blue reissue, music writer Ashley Kahn looks at a few of the stories behind the scenes of the legendary recording sessions.

Saxophonist Hank Crawford died Jan. 29 at the age of 74. The Memphis-born musician backed B.B. King and Ray Charles before going solo. He later became the musical director for Charles' band. Fresh Air remembers Crawford with a 1998 interview.

Antony Hegarty, lead singer for Antony and the Johnsons, has a striking sound — "between male and female ... at once ethereal and earthy," one critic writes. The group's new CD is The Crying Light.

Alumni of Gillespie's many different bands still get together to ensure that his dazzling songwriting gets heard with the power and verve it demands. The Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars (the big-band edition) played a special celebration with the vocal quartet New York Voices, live from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to ring in 2009.

If classic jazz has a contemporary voice, it's that of guitarist, vocalist and bandleader John Pizzarelli. He's fashioned an ultra-cool style that's both modern and rooted in the jazz tradition. Here, the John Pizzarelli Trio swings on "Here Comes the Sun" before Pizzarelli and McPartland perform "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning."

The award-winning bluegrass family band is led by bassist Jere Cherryholmes, and features his wife and four children. Now nominated for the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy Award, the group plays a set on Mountain Stage.

The group gets pared down to a trio for this casual acoustic session from KEXP. Craig Finn stood at the mic as Tad Kubler and Franz Nicolay handled an acoustic guitar, banjo and accordion. The set-up lets Finn's voice resonate, which means his great lyrics stand out even more than usual.