Episode 1. Jazz is born in New Orleans at the turn of the century emerging from several forms of music including ragtime, marching bands, work songs, spirituals, creole music, funeral parade music and above all, the blues. Musicians profiled here who advanced early jazz are Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, Freddie Keppard, and musicians of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Episode 2. From 1917 through 1924, the "Jazz Age" begins with...

Featuring two performances by the foremost interpreter of the West Coast school of cool jazz. Filmed in Europe 15 years apart, these two shows seen together provide an overview of Baker's illustrious career.

Presents three concerts featuring Sarah Vaughan, the "Divine One", in her prime, wrapping her voice around jazz standards such as Lover man, Misty, and I got rhythm, and showtunes such as Over the rainbow and Maria, among others.

Showcases three concerts demonstrating Mingus's visionary leadership and the band's incredible depth and diversity with unique performances and arrangements of classics.

Three separate shows reveal Coltrane's ascending creative arc from hard bop innovation as a member of the Miles Davis Quartet to consummate bandleader to unrivalled jazz visionary.

Performances featuring the jazz pianist, filmed for the television programs, Mørk sang (Sweden, 1963), Swing it Oscar (Denmark, 1964) and Live in Finland (Finland, 1965).

This program profiles, with first-hand observation and historical detail, the pivotal people and places in American jazz. Includes archive footage of performances by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, and many other important artists.

Recounts the stellar singer's career from her beginnings at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, to her debut at the Apollo Theater and her pre-eminence in nightclubs, concert halls, and jazz festivals around the world.

A musical tribute to New Orleans composed and performed by Wynton Marsalis, trumpet master from New Orleans and Yacub Addy, an African master drummer.