Guardian Music — Philip Larkin loved trad jazz. John Harris grew up thinking nothing before bebop was worth listening to. So he tried to discover the appeal of Ellington and Basie"I can live a week without poetry," Philip Larkin said in 1965, "but not a day without j... more info

Guardian Music — (Emarcy)Those familiar with American bassist Charlie Haden (who plays the Barbican on 21-22 May) and his landmark recordings with Ornette Coleman in the 1950s or with Keith Jarrett in the 70s might find his now 25-year-old Quartet West overly gracefu... more info

Guardian Music — Jazz violinist whose playing had a powerful lyrical sense and a mischievous streakAs the instrument often taken to represent the soul of western classical music, the violin has seemed untouchable to many jazz artists. However, a few have sidestepped ... more info

Guardian Music — Our music team pick the songs or albums, old or new, they just can't turn offCharlie Haden Quartet West Sophisticated Ladies The great American bassist and bandleader Charlie Haden, a key figure in Ornette Coleman's free-jazz revolution of the 50s an... more info

Guardian Music — (ECM)Long-running lineups are a rarity in jazz, but pianist Marcin Wasilewski's Polish trio have played together since they were students in the early 1990s, and their ability to catch and amplify each other's thoughts reflects this. Like their earli... more info

Guardian Music — Our music team pick the songs or albums, old or new, they just can't turn offMarcin Wasilewski Trio Faithful Originally the backing band of Polish trumpet legend Tomasz Stanko, this trio have become one of the most admired contemporary ensembles in E... more info

Guardian Music — A Coltrane devotee who liked Brubeck's Take Five? Anthony Braxton has always been at odds with orthodox jazz thinkingIn the 1980s, after a period of eclipse by fusion, more traditional approaches to jazz were in resurgence – a subject I'll return t... more info

Guardian Music — More than any other jazz guitarist, Metheny has given the instrument as prominent a place as a trumpet or saxophonePat Metheny, the guitar star from Missouri, is one of the most commercially successful instrumentalists in jazz. But while such an achi... more info

Guardian Music — The Kinks singer, who is curating this year's Southbank-based festival, has ambitious plans for the programme of diverse actsRay Davies has revealed his lineup for the 2011 Meltdown festival and said the bill is "about Britain – we're trying to cov... more info

Guardian Music — (Blue Note)Less capricious than Django Bates's tribute to Charlie Parker last year, but just as inspired and rich in references, Joe Lovano's Bird Songs is not just a stunning celebration of Parker's music, but a salute to the sax giants – Sonny Ro... more info