Watch a video introduction to jazz, narrated by John Hasse, curator of American music for the National Museum of American History. Hasse discusses the socio-cultural factors that existed in New Orleans in the early 19th century that provided the setting for jazz to flourish. He stresses the importance that jazz has historically placed on each musician finding their own individual sound.

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.