Moods: Classy

For a period in the late '50s and early '60s, Blue Note was the most stylish label in jazz. The music brought both soul and a questing sense of experimentation to bebop, and Reid Miles' gorgeous LP designs remain influential to this day.

Get dressed up, grab a cocktail, and listen to some upbeat standards by jazz greats from Louis Armstrong to Miles Davis and beyond.

Trumpeter and singer Chet Baker came out of the first flowering of the West Coast school of cool modern jazz in the early 1950s. This playlist explores that time and place, with a particular emphasis on languid ballads.

The perfect soundtrack for a romantic, candlelit dinner.

This playlist takes you back to a time when Sinatra was king, men wore suits, and everyone swilled martinis like the world was going to end in nuclear winter. Thankfully, it didn't, and the swingin' lounge music of the era lives on.

Originating in the 1950s, bossa nova (Portugese for "new trend") combined harmonies and rhythms from American jazz with Brazilian samba. Now these songs have become standard jazz repertoire.

Celebrate the return of one of television's best shows with this playlist of every song to be featured on the hit series.

Starting in the late 1940s, a new, more cerebral and mellower response to bebop became one of the dominant strains in jazz. Enjoy the birth, maturation and continuation of cool jazz, with an emphasis on ballads.

Music from and inspired by the James Bond film series, the classic film scores of John Barry, and the works of original Bond author Ian Fleming.

The perfect combination of Afro-Cuban rhythms and American jazz, from the Havana jam sessions where the style was born to its international exodus.

Dinner date at home? Guests? Just cocktails? Or maybe you just need to feel cool and sophisticated while out and about. This classy combination of jazz and classical music will help set the mood

Pioneered in the late '50s, exotica is easy-listening lounge music that draws upon world music, but doesn't aim for authentic replication. Instead, exotica's purpose is lightweight entertainment that conjures images of foreign paradises.

This playlist is the cure to a long, hard day at work; real music that's really relaxing.

Listen to upbeat world music that will transport you and your guests around the globe.

During the 1960s, multiple Puerto Rican and Cuban genres merged, creating what would later be known as salsa. This playlist includes songs that influenced and shaped the salsa sound.

Essential recordings from the 1930s and 40s Swing-era big bands, which featured upwards of 12 musicians. During their heyday, big bands produced America's most popular dance music.

Listen to the best recordings from the most influential female jazz musicians of all time.

Sinatra's artistry is so all-encompassing you could easily spend your entire life listening to no one else. But even the most fanatical Frank lovers might want to mix it up once in a while, so here's a batch of vocalists bound to appeal to admirers of Ol' Blue Eyes.

Listen to essential arias from operas being performed during Metropolitan Opera's 2011-2012 season, ranging from Puccini's classic "La Bohéme" to Philip Glass' experimental "Satyagraha."

This playlist is comprised of songs from the most notable ballets, as well as movements and waltzes used in classical numbers by ballet companies all over the world.

Throw on your gown and tails and head to the ball with these fifty legendary waltzes.

An introduction to classical solo piano music, featuring the best recordings of the most important works.

A selection of jazz tunes by bandleader/bassist/composer Charles Mingus and the many accomplished musicians that performed with him.

Since the late 1950s, bossa nova has entranced listeners around the world. Enjoy over five decades' worth of music from Brazil and beyond, all influenced by the languid sensuality that began on Ipanema beach.

This bop-leaning selection of vintage jazz features the unique and unmistakable pianist/composer Thelonious Monk, as well as many of his esteemed associates.

Various artists cover songs in the repertoire of the charismatic and prolific composer/pianist/bandleader Duke Ellington, one of the most revered figures in jazz history.

Explore new and historic divas and divos, singing the legendary arias from all the most famous operas of the last 300 years.

This one's all about the ivories, featuring the classic piano-led jazz trios and quartets of the 1950s and '60s, from post-bop to the birth of the modern era.

The solo piano piece is music at its most contemplative. Enjoy these works from the classical, romantic and modern eras in any setting that calls for the quiet intimacy of the pianist and his or her instrument.

Coined by visual artist Byron Werner in the 1980s, Space Age Bachelor Pad music encompasses the hi-fi aesthetic of the 1950s and early '60s. Beloved by even its most tongue-in-cheek fans, let this playlist soundtrack your next sexy party.

Beginning during World War II, bebop signaled the end of the big band swing era and the birth of modern jazz. Enjoy this introduction to the style, focusing on the post-war era when bebop was in its prime

Welcome to the world of Ray Charles, where you'll encounter not only monumental cuts from the man who melded blues, soul, country, jazz, and gospel into a harmonious whole, but also some titanic tracks by Brother Ray's influences, peers, and disciples.