You got the music – and I have the words! But more than that - it’s a singer-songwriter taking a musical line and singing original lyrics. It’s mutual appreciation of poetry and vocals. Paige Hansen walks us down the ‘vocalese’ road and it's role in jazz as part of KNKX and Jazz24's A History of Jazz project.

Walk through the history, the decades, and the innovators of jazz with KNKX and Jazz24. Derived from the soloing of the swing era, musicians Charlie Christian, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and others expanded the language of jazz with bebop, then known as "modern jazz."

Walk through the history, the decades, and the innovators of jazz with KNKX and Jazz24. New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz but “America’s music” did some growing up in Kansas City. For Jazz Appreciation Month, Paige Hansen details the differences that made Kansas City jazz stand out.

A project of Jazz Appreciation Month, the KNKX and Jazz24 music teams are walking through the history, the decades and the innovators of jazz. Despite a severe injury, Romani jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt defined the "Jazz Manouche" or "gypsy jazz" sound.

A project of Jazz Appreciation Month, the KNKX and Jazz24 music teams are walking through the history, the decades and the innovators of jazz. Debuting before the Great Depression, the swing era brought about big bands, new dances and spotlight solos still enjoyed today.

A project of Jazz Appreciation Month, the KNKX and Jazz24 music teams are walking through the history, the decades and the innovators of jazz. Robin Lloyd traces the origins of the boogie-woogie piano style.

A project of Jazz Appreciation Month, the KNKX and Jazz24 music teams are walking through the history, the decades and the innovators of jazz. In this first installment, Mary McCann goes back to the beginning with early jazz and Dixieland.