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Legendary clarinetist Benny Goodman has more than eighty albums to his name. Unlike many Goodman records, Ken Burns' JAZZ Series: Benny Goodman contains samples of work from his earlier and later years. The album also has most of Goodman's big band hits, including "Sing, Sing, Sing."

In 1960, "the first lady of song," Ella Fitzgerald, recorded the album that Murray Horwitz calls "his favorite Ella Fitzgerald performance of all time." Wishes You a Swinging Christmas includes classic holiday pieces by Irving Berlin and Mitchell Parish.

Billie Holiday, also known as "Lady Day," began her career singing in Harlem nightclubs. She recorded the album Love Songs in the 1930s, when jazz commentator A.B. Spellman says she was "at her best."

Pat Metheny is perhaps best known for his post-1980s work, but he also produced one of the classics of the "dead" jazz period of the 1970s: Bright Size Life. The album pays homage to Metheny's Midwestern roots with songs such as "Omaha Celebration."

Ahmad Jamal was one of the few jazz musicians who achieved commercial success, having several hits on the R&B charts. He also had a major influence on Miles Davis. This album, Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing: But Not for Me, contains "Poinciana," which played on jukeboxes across the country.

The name of this CD is Lee Konitz with Wayne Marsh, but Lennis Tristano is probably its greatest influence. Appearing on half the tracks, piano innovator Tristano played a major role in influencing the album's other musicians away from a traditional, frantic bebop sound.

Avant-garde and sometimes controversial, Eric Dolphy was a master of several instruments. He was one of the first musicians to record unaccompanied horn solos, and largely introduced the bass clarinet as a solo instrument. On this 1964 album, Dolphy displays his talents on flute, alto saxophone, and bass clarinet.

Jelly Roll Morton claimed that he invented jazz. While this statement provoked much criticism, Morton is widely considered the first great composer of jazz. Morton's most popular tunes, including the frequently copied "King Porter Stomp," can be found on this album.

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."