Jazz has always had a natural connection to film—its rhythms, moods, and improvisations lend themselves to storytelling on the screen.

Few groups shaped modern jazz like Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.

Wes Montgomery forever changed jazz guitar. Playing with his thumb instead of a pick, he created a warm, rounded tone that was instantly his own.

Nina Simone was a singer, pianist, and force of nature. Born in Tryon, North Carolina, in 1933, she was classically trained but fused jazz, blues, gospel, and folk into a sound uniquely her own.

In 1988, Clint Eastwood directed "Bird," a powerful biographical film about saxophone legend Charlie Parker.

When photographer Art Kane assembled 77 jazz musicians for the iconic 1958 photo A Great Day in Harlem, only three women stood among the crowd: Marian McPartland, Mary Lou Williams, and Hazel Scott. Their presence was quiet but powerful in a sea of men.

In 1994, director Jean Bach gave us "A Great Day in Harlem," a one-hour documentary that peels back the remarkable story behind Art Kane’s legendary 1958 photograph of jazz legends gathered on a Harlem stoop.

From its beginnings, jazz has drawn deeply from African American spirituals — songs of sorrow, strength, and hope.