The dynamic, insistent and often improvised sound of jazz is hard to pin down, yet instantly recognizable.

Originating in New Orleans, with roots in ragtime and blues, jazz is justifiably regarded as one of America’s greatest original art forms. Pay homage to some of the best in jazz with our archive of jazz photography, including the brilliantly unpredictable Miles Davis, the master of free jazz John Coltrane, the regal Ella Fitzgerald and the percussive Thelonious Monk.