Members of the Treme Brass Band play a jazz funeral for their bass drummer, Lionel Batiste, in New Orleans. Sean Gardner/Getty Images hide caption
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A Blog Supreme
From NPR Jazz
Herbie Hancock. Douglas Kirkland/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Herbie Hancock premieres a new band lineup in concert Aug. 11 in Brooklyn. Douglas Kirkland/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Henry Threadgill calls his Pulitzer-winning piece, In for a Penny, In for a Pound, "an epic." John Rogers/Courtesy of the Artist hide caption
Henry Threadgill Zooid, 'In For A Penny, In For A Pound (Opening)'
Chet Baker was a gifted trumpeter and jazz icon. Keystone/Getty Images hide caption
Charenee Wade led a band featuring saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin in a program featuring the music of Gil Scott-Heron (and his collaborator, Brian Jackson). John Rogers for NPR hide caption
Guitarist and singer Camila Meza will release a new album, Traces, in February. Chris Drukker/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Danish Afrobeat-inspired band The KutiMangoes pose for photos with the crowd at the Jarasum International Jazz Festival. Roh Seung-hwan/Courtesy of Jarasum International Jazz Festival hide caption
Paul Bley. Hans Kumpf/Courtesy of ECM Records hide caption
The Anat Cohen Quartet performs in Boston on New Year's Eve 2009. Kelly Davidson/Courtesy of Berklee College of Music hide caption
Following her conversion to Catholicism, pianist Mary Lou Williams began to compose and record religious music. William Gottlieb/Library of Congress hide caption
Maria Schneider and Rudresh Mahanthappa share top honors in the 2015 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll. Briene Lermitte/Jimmy Katz/Courtesy of the artists hide caption
Maria Schneider and Rudresh Mahanthappa didn't exactly tie for Best Album of the Year honors — but declaring a tie seems fitting to the quality of this year's list. Briene Lermitte/Jimmy Katz/Courtesy of the artists hide caption
Vocalist Audrey Shakir will join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for this year's holiday show. Her son, saxophonist Walter Blanding, is a long-time Orchestra member. Frank Stewart/Jazz at Lincoln Center hide caption
Billy Strayhorn, pictured here in the 1940s, wrote more than 1,000 works, most of them for Duke Ellington. William P. Gottlieb/Library of Congress hide caption
Allen Toussaint on stage in Australia in 2013. He died Monday at age 77 in Madrid, Spain. Matt Roberts/Getty Images hide caption
Phil Woods. An Iren Oetsby/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Molly Johnson. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Nina Simone's voice may have had a limited range, but its unique power and melancholy made for a legendary effect when paired with her genre-crossing piano. Getty Images hide caption
Ornette Coleman at his 85th birthday party in March 2015. John Rogers for NPR hide caption