A great place to start is Ken Burns' Jazz, a ten-part series made for PBS that presents the evolution of the music from its origins in the turn of the century melting pot of New Orleans  to the present day. One of the most original voices in modern jazz belongs to Thelonius Monk. Monk and Monk in Europe present the pioneering bebop pianist on stage and in the studio in 1968 with a top-notch band featuring saxophonist Charlie Rouse. Perhaps best known for his immortal composition Misty, Erroll Garner also recorded the million selling album Concert by the Sea. Erroll Garner: No One Can Hear You Read provides an overview of the life and career of the virtuoso pianist. Jam band groove masters Medeski, Martin, and Wood bring jazz into the 21st century and beyond in Fly in a Bottle.

And don’t forget that this year, Jazz Appreciation Month is exploring “the cross pollination of Afro-Caribbean music and jazz leading into the formation of Latin jazz,” according to the Smithsonian website. It also noted that “One of the iconic figures recognized in the Afro-Caribbean music tradition was bassist, bandleader, composer, and co-creator of mambo Israel “Cachao” López.”