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Lyric soprano Renée Fleming is a familiar face on the world's greatest opera stages, but on her latest CD, Haunted Heart, she makes a leap to the worlds of jazz, pop and folk. She talks with NPR's Fred Child about her foray into non-operatic territory.

Musicians from Canada's Royal Conservatory in Toronto introduce the spirited and overlooked music of Ukrainian composer Dmitri Klebanov.

Wallace Roney holds the distinction of being the only trumpet player the late great Miles Davis personally mentored. But with his latest CD Prototype, Roney proves he's no copycat, and he's unafraid to explore new musical territory.

Trumpeter Jon Hassell began to create what he dubbed "Fourth World" music in the 1970s. He defines it as "a unified primitive/futuristic sound combining features of world ethnic styles with advanced electronic techniques."

Billie Holiday: The Ultimate Collection, is a two CD/one DVD collection of Holiday performances. Included along with many of the singer's classic songs are some rarely seen appearances of Holiday on 1950s television.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall. It's a long-forgotten recording of a 1957 benefit concert, which has never been released until now.

Some pure Americana comes from the pen of recent four-time Grammy winner William Bolcom. His "Ragomania" honors jazz great Eubie Blake and Bolcom's idol George Gershwin. Marin Alsop conducts the Aspen Festival Orchestra.

The Nat King Cole Show debuted in 1956, making singer and jazz pianist Nat "King" Cole the first black man to host a nationally televised variety program. Cole reluctantly challenged segregation on television and in American society, but a year later the show ended.

Many jazz artists have mined Prince's songbook, but few explore the seedier side of his repertoire. Leave it to slide trumpeter and bandleader Steven Bernstein to offer a jazz take on the infamous "Darling Nikki."

The New Standards are making waves by reinterpreting their favorite songs in a jazz mode. John Munson of Semisonic fame plays bass and sings, Chan Poling of the Suburbs plays piano, and Steve Roehm is on vibraphone as they remake songs by the Replacements and the Clash.