Kevin Whitehead

You might think that Sánchez's Spanish-French-Cuban-Canadian-Israeli quintet would go haywire with so many rhythmic accents in play, but critic Kevin Whitehead says the composer pulls it all together.

Rudd started out playing dixieland before graduating to free jazz. Now he's collaborating with singer Fay Victor on his latest album. Critic Kevin Whitehead says Embrace has a "valedictory air."

Kevin Whitehead remembers alto saxophonist Arthur Blythe, pianist Geri Allen, guitarist John Abercrombie and singer Jon Hendricks. Each "helped shape jazz after the upheavals of the 1960s," he says.

In 1952, record producer Norman Granz brought six jazz stars into the studio to back a singer from outside their circle: Hollywood song and dance man Fred Astaire.

Critic Kevin Whitehead says Abrams, who died last week, was "steeped in jazz, but eager to take on a wider world." Abrams was a co-founder of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.

Rainey plays on Jason Stein's Lucille! as well as on his own quintet's record, Float Upstream. Critic Kevin Whitehead says the albums demonstrate the range and glory of jazz counterpoint.

The jazz legend would have turned 100 today. Critic Kevin Whitehead says Monk's music is "universally beloved, by jazz musicians across the stylistic spectrum who might agree about little else."

Mabern has worked as a pianist for more than half a century. Now he brings brings his confident style and sense of musical history to his latest album, To Love And Be Loved.

Iyer studied physics and mathematics before becoming a professional musician in the 1990s. He composes music for an ensemble of interdisciplinary composers and jazz academics on his new album.

In 1968, jazz pianist Bill Evans led a trio with Jack DeJohnette and Eddie Gomez. They spent five weeks in Europe; a newly unearthed concert recording catches them live in a Dutch radio studio.

Tenor saxophonist JD Allen has been leading a group with the same musicians for 10 years now. Critic Kevin Whitehead says the quartet's familiarity helps it hit its groove on Radio Flyer.

Fifty years ago, singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry released a song that described a slice of life in rural Mississippi. Critic Kevin Whitehead shares a few of the jazz covers that followed.

Allen mixes African, European and American beats on his new album, A Tribute to Art Blakey. Critic Kevin Whitehead says the record showcases the way that musicians "bat ideas back and forth."

Since the 1990s, New York trumpet player Steven Bernstein has been the ringleader of this occasional quartet. This recent album was recorded at a home studio and its rough-hewn quality is just right.

Paul Steinbeck's new book chronicles the antics, both on and off stage, of the storied jazz ensemble. Critic Kevin Whitehead says Message to Our Folks celebrates the band's success on their own terms.

The reissued album features the sound of the South African musician once known as Dollar Brand. Critic Kevin Whitehead says: "When Abdullah got a-rumbling, his piano was like a force of nature."

Fitzgerald, who died in 1996, had her first hits with Chick Webb's big band before going out on her own in the 1940s. Critic Kevin Whitehead says Fitzgerald at her best is as good as it gets.

The New-Orleans-born trumpeter salutes the earliest jazz recordings on his new album. Critic Kevin Whitehead says Ruler Rebel showcases Adjuah's "commanding personal voice and ... sense of direction."

Monk Dreams, Hallucinations and Nightmares, by the Finish-born pianist and composer, is a meditation on Thelonious Monk's "odd but catchy melodies," says jazz critic Kevin Whitehead.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead remembers Mengelberg, who died Friday, as a "musical anarchist" who taught classical counterpoint and wrote dozens of catchy melodies.