Kevin Whitehead

The songs on Williams' new album have easy-to-follow contours, forward motion, set-ups and payoffs — features soloists can work with. The end result is the sound of a plan coming together.

Saxophonist Marsalis has been leading a quartet for the last 20 years, with only one personnel change; their new album, The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, shows they're still going strong.

Dan Pritzker's new film tells the story of Charles "Buddy" Bolden, a mythic jazz hero who burned so bright he burned himself out. Though striking and stylish, Bolden loses its grip in the final act.