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At 70, Hugh Masekela says he has personally healed. But the trumpeter and vocalist, long known as both a celebrated artist and an anti-apartheid activist, has recorded "songs of concern" on his new album, Phola.

It's the tradition of jazz to interact with contemporary popular music, which is exactly what The Bad Plus does. Having just added rock singer Wendy Lewis to its lineup, the energetic jazz trio performs new standards from Nirvana and The Bee Gees in a session from Jazz24.

Music may or may not make babies smarter. But for new parents who are passionate about music, picking the first song their children will hear upon entering the world remains of great importance. A DJ, a critic and a musician talk about what they played for their newborns.

The Klezmatics' members are at the forefront of modern klezmer, always pushing the style in new directions. Playing at KEXP at the start of a weeklong tour of the Northwest, the Grammy-winning band performs a rousing set of songs that show off its diversity.

We're al fresco for New Orleans' Marlon Jordan Quartet, at the annual Summer of Jazz series in scenic Glenwood Springs, Colo. The group improvises with a Miles-and-Trane vibe while dogs, kids, baseball-tossers and Frisbee-throwers groove to the music.

Ponderosa Stomp is a music festival dedicated to the unsung heroes of solid American roots music. The annual event is a rocking showcase of jazz, soul, funk, rockabilly and swamp-pop combined into two days of non-stop jamming. Hear exclusive performances from Ponderosa Stomp and a chat with the festival's founder: Ira Padnos, a.k.a. "Dr. Ike."

Since leaving his post as guitarist of Drive-By Truckers, Isbell has pursued his own creative voice on two solo albums. The latest, a self-titled release with his new band The 400 Unit, lays down percussion-heavy Southern roots-rock with the perceptive, character-driven songwriting that distinguishes Isbell as one of the best lyricists around.

The grainy, blurry portrait of Ran Blake on the cover of his album, Driftwoods, looks like spirit photography: the pianist as ghostly presence. His playing can be spooky, too. The CD radically transforms popular vocal standards from Billie Holiday, Hank Williams, Quincy Jones and more.

The California native found his way from West Coast beaches to the swamps of New Orleans to perfect his soulful, '70s-style blues-rock. Lindell draws on his travels around the country to infuse his new album, Gulf Coast Highway, with funky grooves, touches of soul and a bit of honky-tonk.

New Orleans is not only the cradle of jazz. It's also the birthplace of great jazz piano, dating back to the early 1900s, when Jelly Roll Morton tickled the ivories. Hear three pianists who are keeping upholding that great tradition — Allen Toussaint, Henry Butler and Jon Cleary — onstage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with Keys to New Orleans.