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Music journalist Ashley Kahn talks about the life and musical legacy of jazz singer Billie Holiday, who would have turned 90 this year. To mark the occasion, Universal Music has released Billie Holiday: The Ultimate Collection, a boxed set of Holiday's music for which Kahn wrote the liner notes.

Ed Gordon speaks with jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb about his prolific career and his fourteenth CD, When I'm With You.

Ella Fitzgerald began her career by winning a talent contest as a teenager at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Possessing one of the most distinctive voices in music, she successfully sang ballads and swinging solos. This album has one of her best pieces in the scat-singing style, "Jersey Bounce."

Alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, nicknamed "the New Bird" for his ability to play fast leads a la Charlie "Bird" Parker, swept on the jazz scene in the mid-1950s. On Somethin' Else, Adderley teamed with Miles Davis to create an album that jazz commentator Murray Horwitz calls "near perfect."

The third album from the British rock band Coldplay is called X&Y. For the past five years, Coldplay has been steadily climbing the ladder of pop music success. And with this record many in the music business believe the four soft-spoken Brits will earn the title "biggest band in the world."

Correspondent Farai Chideya talks with jazz saxophonist Pamela Williams about her latest CD, Sweet Saxations.

Known for his complex rhythms and ability to play two keys at once, Dave Brubeck was already a sensation in 1954, when he appeared on the cover of Time magazine. The same year, he recorded Jazz Goes to College at several live shows on college campuses.

Some critics claim that Lester Young never sounded the same after his stint in the military in the '40s, but The Complete Aladdin Recordings proves otherwise. This classic two-album set showcases Young's unique ability to float over bar lines with a light tone, rather than the forceful approach that was dominant during his time.

Mildred Bailey found fame after signing on with Paul Whiteman's national dance orchestra in 1929. Dynamic and plucky, she married xylophonist Red Norvo, and the couple became known as "Mr. and Mrs. Swing." On That Rockin' Chair Lady, her sweet and flexible voice sparkles.

Of all of his albums, John Coltrane selected one as his favorite: Blue Train. Released in 1957, the record is frequently cited as one of the most important in the history of jazz. The 1997 reissue has several bonus tracks, as well as video and interview clips.