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The jazz pianist and longtime collaborator Childo Tomas pay a visit to NPR's Studio 4A to play music steeped in the Afro-Cuban tradition, but fueled by Sosa's teeming imagination and eclectic inspirations.

Recent developments in understanding the interaction between music and the brain might help us avoid the stress inherent in sending one's hard-earned tax dollars to Manhattan and Detroit and Baghdad. With the right music in the background, preparing taxes might feel about the same as drinking cucumber water in a swank spa, or doing tai chi as the sun rises over the seashore.

Before launching into Cedar Walton's "Mosaic" at the Kennedy Center, drummer Lewis Nash said that no tribute to the legendary Blue Note label would be complete without honoring Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Hear the thundering highlight recorded live on Sunday night.

On the new album Trombone Tribe, trombonist Roswell Rudd plays with a number of groups including his own sextet. Music critic Kevin Whitehead has a review.

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."