Far from dead, jazz is more vital than it's been in decades. These are some of the artists keeping it alive in the twenty-first century.

Philip Freeman is a music journalist specializing in jazz and metal. He is the former managing editor of the world music magazine Global Rhythm; the former editor-in-chief of the metal magazine Metal Edge; the founder of MSN Entertainment's Headbäng daily metal blog; and currently writes a monthly jazz column, Ugly Beauty, for Stereogum. He lives in Elizabeth, NJ.