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The Monterey Jazz Festival celebrates 50 years of great music this weekend. Musician David Was reflects on the festival and reviews a new set of archival Monterey CDs featuring Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie.

In the 1950s, no bluesman was more popular than Jimmy Reed. He wrote hits like "Bright Lights Big City" and "Big Boss Man" and pioneered the ubiquitous "thump" guitar riff. Two accomplished Texas bluesmen, Omar Kent Dykes and Jimmie Vaughan, pay tribute to Reed on their new CD.

Pianist Gabriela Montero fields songs sung over the telephone and creates her own improvisations around them. This week, hard work on a sailing team inspired a listener to sing the song "The Weight" by The Band.

Choosing five favorite recordings is a tall order for any music lover, but especially for Yo-Yo Ma. The musically omnivorous super-cellist picks his top five favorites.

Legendary pianist McCoy Tyner recently released a new album, adding to an extensive catalog that dates back to the early 1960s. Now pushing 70, Tyner still sounds as original as ever. Hear five introductory songs from WDUQ.

When Bridgewater came up empty after tracing her family tree back more than 100 years, she turned to West African music. After a trip to Mali in 2004, she discovered its complex musical heritage. Hear an interview about the inspiration behind her new album, Red Earth.

The annual North Sea Jazz Festival is a universe of U.S. and European jazz and world music. With Radio Netherlands, JazzSet presents music by a prize-winning band from the U.K., a duo from the U.S., and a German orchestra devoted to American composer Bob Brookmeyer.

Chris Gaffney, vocalist and accordion player for the Hacienda Brothers, died last week from liver cancer at the age of 57.

There are many gifted jazz singers, and there's no shortage of accomplished acoustic bass players. But 23-year-old Esperanza Spalding's new album features both her soaring, flexible vocals and the low-end thump of her double bass.

Pianist Laurence Hobgood has been a fixture on the Chicago jazz scene for years. He has recently come to prominence as pianist, musical director and co-producer for the much-celebrated jazz singer Kurt Elling. The pianist gives an interview and performance on Piano Jazz.