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We still don't know what the song of this summer might be, but we've picked out a few new songs to soundtrack road trips, cookouts and sultry nights.

David Greene talks to the pianist about her recent performance at a piano festival in Cuba — and a particularly stressful time in her life.

The Broadway and television star talks about the new recording of Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait he made for NPR Music with the United States Marine Band.

Norwegian composer Jan Garbarek blends jazz, atmospheric ambient music and European folk traditions, making his music tough to classify. Critic Jim Fusilli says that on his latest CD, In Praise of Dreams, Garbarek heads even further into the ether.

Proficient on both alto and tenor saxophone, James Moody was also a brilliant jazz flutist. He toured Europe in the 1940s with Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Max Roach. This album is known for its popular title track, which is a version of "I'm in the mood for love."

Legendary clarinetist Benny Goodman has more than eighty albums to his name. Unlike many Goodman records, Ken Burns' JAZZ Series: Benny Goodman contains samples of work from his earlier and later years. The album also has most of Goodman's big band hits, including "Sing, Sing, Sing."

While working in Miles Davis' first classic quintet, Red Garland made several exemplary recordings as part of a trio. On A Garland of Red, Garland made his first appearance as a trio leader, revealing his own improvisational style.

In 1960, "the first lady of song," Ella Fitzgerald, recorded the album that Murray Horwitz calls "his favorite Ella Fitzgerald performance of all time." Wishes You a Swinging Christmas includes classic holiday pieces by Irving Berlin and Mitchell Parish.

After years of being ignored by critics, Thelonious Monk finally became a star in 1957 while playing in a quartet with John Coltrane. The same year, Monk recorded the jazz classic, Thelonious Himself. This innovative album contains a 21-minute version of his most recognizable song, "Round Midnight."

Jelly Roll Morton claimed that he invented jazz. While this statement provoked much criticism, Morton is widely considered the first great composer of jazz. Morton's most popular tunes, including the frequently copied "King Porter Stomp," can be found on this album.