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He is the most important jazz musician of all time, and even that's an understatement. Louis Armstrong defined American popular culture in the 20th century as a musician, an actor and an entertainer. As a singer and trumpeter, he taught the world to swing.

The electronic artist Mocean Worker grew up around the greats of jazz and related American musics. On his new CD, he draws upon his history to create vintage-sounding, danceable grooves which aren't quite jazz — but sound a lot like it.

Lyle Ritz's bass can be heard on many pop singles between the mid-'60s and early '80s. But in Hawaii, a group of enthusiasts know him for a recording made 50 years ago — the first album for jazz ukulele.

Israeli-born pianist and composer Anat Fort spent the last seven years in New York, much of it working on her first album for ECM Records. She says that though some of the music was written quickly, it took time to discover how to perform it.

The standard canon for up-and-coming jazz pianists has traditionally included the likes of Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock. But Lafayette Gilchrist did not start playing the piano until college after a childhood listening to much more funk, hip hop and go-go than jazz.

For two minutes and 21 seconds, Sir Andre Previn improvises in the studio and comes up with "Andre's Blues," one of the cuts on his new solo piano album. At the start, Previn's 78-year-old fingers take off in a lighthearted reverie and then segue into the business of the blues.

Throughout his 60-year career, Max Roach redefined jazz drumming by dividing rhythms in new ways and creating a wide palette of colors. Always the innovator, he extended possibilities for drummers, and helped develop modern jazz.

Live from the Monterey Jazz Festival, Otis Taylor plays what he calls "trance blues" — a blues sound drenched in Appalachian country music and moody, psychedelic rock. He discovered blues and folk music after hearing the work of Mississippi John Hurt. Hear a full concert.

Jazz expression remains forever steeped in the innovations of Armstrong's trumpet solos. The scope and magnitude of his virtuosity was nothing short of world-altering. Each time he held his horn up to his lips, he made melodies ring out in a joyful, brilliant tone.

Pianist and vocalist Norah Jones' latest album, Not Too Late, strips her music to the core. She forgoes jazz and pop standards for original compositions and a much subtler approach. Hear Jones give an interview and in-studio performance.