Take a taste of Billie Holiday during the Verve phase of her career, enjoy the multi-faceted Cuban vocalist Lucrecia, and bring in a funky New Year with 18 versions of Herbie Hancock‘s "Watermelon Man."

The quintessential Lady Day, aka Billie Holiday, kicks us off in style. We journey back to Cuba to catch pianist Roberto Fonseca in concert. We conclude with some late night/early morning Sextapes from Marsha Ambrosius.

Another Duke Ellington week, this time Duke with Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Mingus, Max Roach, and John Coltrane. Then we’re down Havana way with Cuban rapper/jazz vocalist Danay Suarez. And we conclude with Dexter Gordon stretching out on standards.

This week we consider Duke Ellington recorded on the road, and then visit Boston to check out emerging emcee Dutch ReBelle, and then jump over to Paris to experience jazz vocalist Elisabeth Kontomanou.