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Musician David Was says the Texas tenor sax player Ornette Coleman is sort of the Samuel Beckett of jazz — misunderstood, maligned and, after almost five decades since his debut, still making news. A new Coleman CD collection has been released called To Whom Who Keeps a Record.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Sound Grammar, the latest album from saxophonist Ornette Coleman.

A son who grew up with Frank Sinatra music playing all the time — compliments of his father, "the hippest black man I've ever known," — finally comes to appreciate Sinatra's Vegas stylings.

"Ain't Got No/I Got Life" sounds like the product of an unearthly collaboration involving Simone, Sly Stone and the Stax Department of Horns. Originally loping and straightforward, it now shimmies and swings, a model of loopy, unrestrained exuberance its originators could never have imagined.

The eyepatch-wearing pianist was among the most erratic characters in the Crescent City, and as a result, his discography includes few solid studio sides. Booker was prone to effusive showboating, but on this 1977 live recording, he sounds engaged playing songs that were staples of his live show.

Musician Tony Trischka knows there's more to banjo than The Beverly Hillbillies. He has explored the banjo and its rich history, from African melodies to jazz fusion and classical arrangements.

Musicians and composers Phillip Johnston and Joel Forrester of The Microscopic Septet have reunited for the release of their two-volume History of the Micros: Seven Men in Neckties & Surrealistic Swing. The Microscopic Septet composed and recorded the Fresh Air theme song.

A performer of boundless energy, Sammy Davis Jr. was known for plowing over audiences with flim-flam and razzle-dazzle. But in the studio, the diminutive don of the Rat Pack was, at times anyway, a serious singer. Here, he performs in a desolate cocktail bar, with only a guitarist for support.

It has been 30 years since Keith Jarrett released The Koln Concert, a recording of solo piano improvisations that has sold over 3 million copies — far more than most jazz records. It was a breakthrough for the 60-year-old pianist and composer, who studied classical music in his youth and got his start playing jazz with Art Blakey, Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. After the success of Koln, Jarrett began doing regular solo concerts. But in the late 1990s, a battle with chronic fatigue syndrome forced him to rest at his home in rural New Jersey. Last September, the pianist performed at Carnegie Hall. The concert became a two-CD set. Tom Moon has a review.

Legendary songstress Patti LaBelle has a new Christmas album in stores, Miss Patti's Christmas. The Grammy Award-winning musician opens up about her legendary career, her latest work and why, after 45 years in the business, she just wants respect.