Jazz

Jazz historian KEVIN WHITEHEAD reviews two new jazz biographies: Speakeasies to Symphonies: The Jazz Genius of James P. Johnson by Scott E. Brown; and Cosmic: Music: The Life, Art and Transcendence of Alice Coltrane by Andy Beta.

In 1965, Davis led one of the all-time great jazz groups. That December, they recorded seven sets over two nights in a Chicago nightclub. The complete recordings went unreleased for decades.

Oh took the fast track to jazz prominence, emerging on the scene in the 2000s and becoming the bass player in bands led by Pat Metheny and Vijay Iyer. Her new album is a look back at her early work.

Of all the folk songsters from the 1960s, Mitchell has proven to have the strongest influence on jazz singers. Joni's Jazz features her collaborations with stars like Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock.

Younger follows in the footsteps of greats like Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, using her instrument in many styles of jazz and pop music.

Moody made untold records over 63 years of recording, and really excelled as a live performer. 80 Years Young: Live at the Blue Note is a recording made on his 80th birthday in 2005.

Guitarist and composer Halvorson arrived on the jazz scene in the mid 2000s with a virtuosity that commanded attention. Her current sextet, called Amaryllis, features a stellar cast of musicians.

NEA Jazz Master Braxton turns 80 this year. Lehman, one of his proteges, has created a tribute that highlights the composer's early work and shows the roads to and from his music.

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A new recording features pianist McCoy Tyner and saxophonist Joe Henderson in a concert taped in New York City in 1966. The music here is a prelude to later iconic records by each leader.

In 1959, Rollins was a few years into one of the great hot streaks in jazz history when he took a three-week trip to Europe. Three hours from that tour are heard on a new Rollins-approved reissue.