Wynton Century

Critically acclaimed pianist/composer Aaron Diehl's penchant for the past influencing the future has come full circle with his fully realised suite of Mary Lou Williams' Zodiac Suite - the first fully-fledged professional recording of this incredible music. Solely paying tribute to Mary Lou Williams was not the goal, as Diehl's mission is to give honour and praise to one of the greatest composers of the 20th century and the forgotten rich history of Black Classical Music.

The story of jazz for the general reader as it has never been told before, from the inside out: a comprehensive, eloquent, scrupulously researched page-turner. In this vivid history of jazz, a respected critic and a leading scholar capture the excitement of America’s unique music with intellectual bite, unprecedented insight, and the passion of unabashed fans. They explain what jazz is, where it came from, and who created it and why, all within the broader context of American life and culture. Emphasizing its African American roots, Jazz traces the history of the music over the last hundred years. From ragtime and blues to the international craze for swing, from the heated protests of the avant-garde to the radical diversity of today’s artists, Jazz describes the travails and triumphs of musical innovators struggling for work, respect, and cultural acceptance set against the backdrop of American history, commerce, and politics. With vibrant photographs by legendary jazz chronicler Herman Leonard, Jazz is also an arresting visual history of a century of music.

"Presidential Suite: Eight Variations on Freedom" is the two time Grammy Award-winning album from composer Ted Nash and his Big Band. Featuring recordings of great speeches from leaders such as Aung San Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela, and John F. Kennedy, as read by contemporary figures such as Glenn Close and Douglas Brinkley, each of the movements in Nash's composition respond to the themes and musical features of each speech, producing a creative and inspiring reflection on the idea of freedom.

Drummer Shannon Powell stands tall in the lineage of New Orleans’ rhythmic giants; he is a torchbearer of the city’s culture and one of the finest drummers in the world. He’s also a great singer, his vocals invoking styles that echo the churches, street parades and jazz clubs of his hometown. Known for his contributions to traditional and modern jazz idioms, having worked with Danny Barker, Harry Connick Jr. and Wynton Marsalis, Powell is also a veteran of New Orleans' rich rhythm and blues scene having backed up such greats as Snooks Eaglin, Earl King and Dr. John.

V.S.O.P. is a 1977 double live album by pianist and keyboard player Herbie Hancock, featuring acoustic jazz performances by the V.S.O.P. Quintet (Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams), and jazz fusion and jazz-funk performances by the Mwandishi band (with Eddie Henderson) and The Headhunters (featuring Bennie Maupin and Paul Jackson).

The body of work by Edward Kennedy Ellington, the Duke of music, it extends to more than 800 works according to Wynton Marsalis. He isn't just one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century but arguably the one that defines the sound of his era with more accuracy – the music he left though, is timeless.