Sampling some of the standouts for this year’s Oscar nominations for Best Original Song and Best Soundtrack.

A sampling of pieces by film composer Shigeru Umebayashi (above) and other like-minded individuals.

Songs, ballads and poetry from Ovid to Tom Waits that tell stories for the long hot summer days and nights of July.

Music for the fullness of summer.

We bid fare-thee-well to June and shake out a mix of music for July and open-air listening.

An all too brief sampling from the finest years in jazz, 1957 through 1959, featuring John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington, and Red Garland, above.

Music of the little known Etta Jones with a mix of Huston Person her co-creator, and the artistry of recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder.

A celebration of Willie Nelson, now into his 90s, and as vital as ever.

A celebration of the beautiful month of June.

A brief foray into the final works of Ludwig van Beethoven, his late string quartets.

A tribute to the musical world we live in, especially that of birdsong, and in particular, the eastern virtuoso, the catbird.