• A concise history of jazz
• The noteworthy composers and musicians, from Jelly Roll Morton and Thelonious Monk to Miles Davis and Charles Mingus
• Major performers from Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald to Nat King Cole and Duke Ellington
• Classic songs and compositions
• The most influential recordings of all time
• A complete guide to jazz terminology and lingo
• Valuable resources for the Curious Listener

The Ten Essential Operas

Bizet’s Carmen, featuring Teresa Berganza, Placido Domingo, Ileana Cotrubas, and Sherill Milnes, cond. Claudio Abbado (Deutsche Grammophon)

Verdi’s Ernani, featuring Mirella Freni and Placido Domingo, cond. Riccardo Muti (EMI)

Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, featuring Jon Vickers, Helga Dernesch, and Christa Ludwig, cond. Herbert von Karajan (EMI/Angel)

Puccini’s Turandot, featuring Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, and Montserrat Caballe, cond. Zubin Mehta (London/Decca)

Verdi’s Il trovatore, featuring Leontyne Price and Franco Corelli, cond. Herbert von Karajan (Deutsche Grammophon)

Berg’s Wozzeck, featuring Franz Grundheber and Hildegard Behrens, cond. Claudio Abbado (Deutsche Grammophon)

Mozart’s Don Giovanni, featuring Samuel Ramey, Ferrucio Furlanetto, Kathleen Battle, cond. von Karajan (Deutsche Grammophon)

Donizetti’s Lucia di Lamermoor, featuring Maria Callas and Giuseppe di Stefano, cond. Herbert von Karajan (EMI)

Handel’s Julius Caesar, featuring Beverly Sills and Norman Treigle, cond. Julius Rudel (RCA Victor)

Glass’ Satyagraha, featuring Douglas Perry, Scott Reeve, and Claudia Cummings, cond. Christopher Keene (CBS Masterworks)

The Ten Essential Popular Standards

Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” performed by Frank Sinatra with Kenny G (Duets, Capitol)

Mitchell Parish and Hoagy Carmichael’s “Star Dust,” performed by Errol Garner (The Complete Master Takes, Savoy)

Vernon Duke’s “Autumn in New York,” performed by Louis Armstrong (Let’s Do It: The Best of the Verve Years, Verve)

Larry Hart and Richard Rodgers’ “Little Girl Blue,” performed by Margaret Whiting (The Complete Capitol Hits, Capitol)

Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen’s “Come Rain or Come Shine,” performed by Ann Hampton Callaway (Easy Living, Sin-Drome)

George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm,” performed by Lena Horne (Greatest Hits, RCA)

Irving Berlin’s “Always,” performed by Michael Feinstein (Romance on Film, Romance on Broadway, Concord)

Bart Howard’s “Fly Me to the Moon,” performed by Tony Bennett (MTV Unplugged, Columbia)

Jack Lawrence and Walter Gross’ “Tenderly,” performed by Billie Holiday (Lady in Autumn: The Best of the Verve Years, Verve)

Andy Razaf and Eubie Blake’s “Memories of You,” performed by Wynton Marsalis (Standard Time, Vol. I, Columbia)