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On this edition of All Songs Considered, we ask the question: Do labels still matter? Host Bob Boilen talks with Monitor Mix blogger Carrie Brownstein, All Songs Considered producer Robin Hilton, and Song of the Day editor Stephen Thompson about some of their favorite labels, as well as the role those labels play in making music great.

We start the new year with a new mix, featuring Andrew Bird, Benjy Ferree, Chopteeth, Esau Mwamwaya, Begushkin, and Bad Plus.

The year's best jazz albums reach into your world rather than demanding that you reach into theirs, KPLU's Nick Francis says. Here, he picks 10 fun recordings with a contemporary attitude compliant to listeners' daily lives.

NPR Music ended 2008 the way the previous 29 have for NPR and its jazz partner WBGO: with live jazz, all night long. Toast of the Nation features jazz groups welcoming the new year across the country, from New York to Los Angeles, Boston to New Orleans. Here's a preview of the night's artists.

Even with his contributions to the instrument, not even Coleman Hawkins could have predicted how the tenor saxophone would become so centrally identifiable with jazz. Five of today's leading tenor players have new releases in 2009, each with his own take on the shape of jazz to come.

When "Buckshot La Funke" appeared on a Louis Smith record, you may not have known it was actually Cannonball Adderley. Record contracts of yesteryear (and some today) buried exclusivity clauses in the fine print. But musicians have to eat, so they would record under other names, like the five included here.

Money is on everyone's mind right now. Maybe you're worried about your own money, worried about the state of the world economy or just relieved to have a job and a paycheck. Got the money blues? Listen to these five jazz tunes — a good investment for your ears and your soul.

Jazz has no shortage of celebrated masters. Every year brings an abundance of new milestones for record labels to celebrate. With that in mind, we present songs by six American jazz musicians who would have become centenarians in 2009, including Lester Young.

Everybody loves Cole Porter. But most jazz musicians really love Cole Porter. Singers love his lyrics, which showcase great wit, amazing rhymes and beautiful imagery. Instrumentalists love his elegant melodies and sophisticated song structures. Celebrate Porter's birthday with Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Nellie McKay and more.

What do chocolate pudding, smiles, gingerbread, fishing and dairy products have to do with each other? They all have lesser-known holidays dedicated to them in the month of June. Celebrate these delightfully obscure days with Jimmy Heath, Louis Armstrong and more.