John Hasse, curator of American music for the National Museum of American History, shares illuminating commentary on JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology.

JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology, the new 111-track, 6-CD, 200-page compendium of the great American musical invention, traces the turning points of this 20th-century tale through its legendary innovators and notable styles. The great American musical invention of the 20th century, jazz is an ever-youthful, still evolving music of beauty, sensitivity, and brilliance that has produced (and been produced by) an extraordinary progression of talented artists.

With 111 tracks that showcase artists at their best and most influential, this remarkable anthology updates and expands the milestone Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz of 1973, once again offering a wellspring resource for educators, students, musicians, beginners, and aficionados. Scores of leading jazz scholars, performers, and writers collaborated in selecting the recordings and producing the incisive annotations.