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Louis Armstrong, one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th Century, exuded joy and exuberance as a trumpet player and singer. He rose from poverty in New Orleans, before achieving worldwide fame. In this 1928 album, a young Satchmo shows the extraordinary inventiveness that put him on the map.

Erroll Garner became a jazz star even though he never learned to read music. He taught himself to play the piano and landed a gig on the radio at age 10. As an adult, Garner recorded the live album, Concert by the Sea, on one melodic night in a church in Carmel, California.

Tony Bennett got his break when Bob Hope saw him performing with Pearl Bailey and put him in his stage show. This native of Queens had mega-hits in the 1950s and '60s as a crooner. Teamed with famed jazz pianist Bill Evans in this album, Bennett shows off his inventive, interpretive voice.

Gene "Jug" Ammons played bebop and R&B with equal skill. As the founder of the "Chicago School" of tenor sax, he performed with the Woody Herman and Billy Eckstine orchestras. He and his saxophonist friend, Sonny Stitt, often seemed to be in competition when they played together, as they do in this album.

Lee Morgan may have single-handedly saved Blue Note Records from bankruptcy. In 1963, he recorded The Sidewinder for the struggling label, producing a lucrative pop chart hit with the funky title track. By the 1970s, the album was a jazz phenomenon.

Thelonious Monk, one of the most important figures in jazz history, wrote most of his most popular songs between 1947-1952. The two-CD set, Genius of Modern Music, tracks the legendary pianist during this critical time. The album has alternate takes of many of his best-known works.

"Django" was The Modern Jazz Quartet's biggest hit. The album of the same name exemplifies the band's divergent style, incorporating elements of bop, classical music, and the cool jazz movement. Listen for John Lewis' use of baroque fugues in the album's eclectic tracks.

This two-CD set is actually two distinctive albums: Rip, Rig & Panic, and Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith. The tracks, covering everything from blues to avant-garde electronica music, provide a comprehensive introduction to Kirk, who could play three reed instruments simultaneously.

Just in time for Fat Tuesday, critic Michelle Mercer has a review of the four-CD set Big Ol' Box of New Orleans. It features a number of different musical styles popular in the Big Easy throughout the years.

"Falling in love music." That is how jazz commentator Murray Horwitz describes John Coltrane's sensual 1962 album, Ballads. The 2002 re-release of the record contains a bonus disc with previously unreleased tracks, including multiple versions of "Greensleeves."