The paying of dues is a concept strongly linked to the jazz tradition. That's why when I'm forced encouraged by my editor to write about singer Michael Bublé, I take my lumps and hope for better days ahead.

I guess paying dues pays off, because this time, with the release of Bublé's new album Crazy Love, I was able to pawn off the review onto my esteemed colleague Charlie Christenson.

Read Charlie's humorous and polite trashing of the jazzified pop singer's new release. And if you are familiar with Bublé, try to determine whether he is guilty of anything that Charlie lists in his "Ten Things Jazz Singers Do That I Hate."

Image Courtesy of Reprise Records

It all started with Adolphe Sax, a Belgian instrument inventor. In 1842, he attached a clarinet mouthpiece to a brass creation that he named the saxophone. Because of its metal, conical body, the saxophone was capable of playing at volumes much higher than other woodwinds. It was used in military bands in the 1800s, but it took a while for it to be taken seriously by musicians.

Here is a brief history of jazz saxophonists, structured around the stories of the musicians who changed an odd invention into one of the most iconic instruments in jazz. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a rough sketch of the involvement of the saxophone in jazz.

Image of Ornette Coleman © Juan Carlos Hernandez

Harpist Edmar Castaneda's reputation has been growing steadily since his move to the United States in 1994, and seeing the list of all-star collaborators on his latest album, Entre Cuerdas, curiosity got the better of me. The result is a gem of an album: unique in texture, addictive in groove, and balanced between passionate performance and studio polish...

Read more of James Hall's review of Edmar Castaneda's Entre Cuerdas.

Image Courtesy of ArtistShare Records

In case you need to brush up on your Latin jazz history, PBS has a four-part documentary that you can view online called "Latin Music USA." I already had an understanding of the melding of jazz and Afro-Cuban music through Dizzy Gillespie and Machito, but what I didn't realize was how much the rock and roll of the 50s and 60s borrowed from the mambos of earlier decades. What I found especially fascinating was how the Latin music of the 60s and 70s then borrowed elements of R&B and rock music to create boogaloo, which led to the rise of salsa and the esteemed (notorious?) Fania Records.

Related:

• Five Legends of Latin Jazz

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