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Nefertiti captures one of Miles Davis' last great bands at its height. Along with Miles on trumpet, tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams are heard on this album.

One year before her death, Billie Holiday recorded her last studio album, Lady in Satin. The album includes classic songs such as "You've Changed," "End of a Love Affair," and "Glad to be Unhappy."

In 1965, Herbie Hancock recorded an album intended to capture the spirit and mood of the ocean — Maiden Voyage. Two of the album's tracks —"Dolphin Dance" and the title song — became jazz standards.

Earl "Fatha" Hines, often credited with establishing the piano as a solo instrument, revolutionized the 1920s "stride" piano style by playing unusual accents with his left hand. By the time Hines recorded '65 Piano Solo , he had perfected his piano technique into a mellow and modern sound.

Norwegian composer Jan Garbarek blends jazz, atmospheric ambient music and European folk traditions, making his music tough to classify. Critic Jim Fusilli says that on his latest CD, In Praise of Dreams, Garbarek heads even further into the ether.

Music critic Michelle Mercer spent nearly three years working on a biography of jazz legend Wayne Shorter. In the process, she learned a lot about Shorter, his music — and the importance of the silence between sounds.

Woody Herman is best known as the leader of several big bands, three of which were called "The Herds." This box set, The Thundering Herds 1945-1947, contains almost fifty of Herman's popular tunes, including his first hit, "Woodchopper's Ball."

James P. Johnson was sometimes called the "perfecter" of stride piano, the difficult piano form where the left hand "strides" up and down between bass notes and chords, while the right hand plays the melody. This album captures his agility with the technique.

Dexter Gordon, considered by some to be the first great bebop stylist on tenor saxophone, recorded most of the songs on Settin' the Pace when he was in his mid-twenties. Gordon was already a pro by this time, having played with Lionel Hampton's band and Nat "King" Cole while still a teenager.

Guitarist Jim Hall's career spanned five decades. A founding member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet (1955-1956), Hall later toured with Ella Fitzgerald and performed duos with Lee Konitz. In 1963, Hall joined with Bill Evans to record a classic piano/guitar duo session, Undercurrent.