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Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews some box sets you might want to consider (or not) for holiday gifts: The Complete Miles Davis Live at Montreux 1973-1991 (Warner Bros); The Classic Blue Note Recordings of Wayne Shorter; The Classic Columbia and Okeh Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang Sessions (Mosaic); Billy Eckstine: The Legendary Big Band (Savoy); The Definitive Sarah Vaughan (Verve/Blue Note).

Jazz guitarist Russell Malone. The 35-year-old self-taught guitarist is widely acknowledged as one of the most versatile and complete jazz guitarists of his generation. Malone has played with a diverse group of artists including vocalist/pianist Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr., Clarence Carter, Little Anthony and Bucky Pizzarelli. He also fronts his own band. His new CD is called Look Who's Here (Verve).

Over the weekend, a winter storm stranded dozens of people in Northern England. They came for an Oasis tribute band playing at the Tan Hall Inn. Then heavy snowfall blocked the exits.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the debut album by British 25-year-old Nic Armstrong and his band, the Thieves. The recording, The Greatest White Liar, has garnered attention with its mix of British rock and American blues.

Pianist Chuck Leavell has had a rock 'n' roll dream career. Over the past three decades, he has played with Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers Band and the Rolling Stones, with whom he's currently on tour. Leavell stops by NPR's Studio 4A, where he performs some of his favorite tunes and tells Morning Edition's Bob Edwards about what it's like to play with Mick and the boys.

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis. He's just released "Footsteps of Our Fathers," the debut release on the artist's own Marsalis Music label. In the nearly two decades that he has released solo albums, he's won two Grammy Awards and was nominated for a third in 1995. He was the first band leader for Jay Leno's "The Tonight Show" and appeared on the show from 1992-1995. In addition to the solo and ensemble records he's released, Marsalis has participated in various film scores as both composer and featured soloist. He is currently on tour for this album.

Musician and actor Steve Van Zandt is a guitarist for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. He's also recorded solo and has produced a number of records and written songs for other musicians. He plays hitman Silvio Dante in the hit HBO series The Sopranos. He's also now a radio DJ. His syndicated show, Hard Rock Cafe Presents Little Steven's Underground Garage plays Sunday nights on a number of classic rock stations across the United States.

The 1970s Memphis rock band Big Star never reached commercial success, but the group is often cited as a precursor to the grunge of the 1990s, as well as today's power-pop. A new compilation, Big Star Story, assembles some of the songs from the group's three full-length albums. NPR's Will Hermes has a review.

Lead singer and songwriter for The Kinks, Ray Davies started The Kinks in 1964 with his brother, Dave. They are said to be the pioneers of the rowdy garage band genre of rock music. Davies is now 61 and on tour for his first solo album, Other People’s Lives.

Jay Farrar has been in two bands — Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt — popular for mixing rock and country music. Now Jay Farrar has a solo recording that continues to explore the alternative country sound. Reviewer Meredith Ochs says the new CD, Sebastopol, combines some rock music studio tricks with lyrics that take a microscope to the roadsides of America. (4:30) The CD is Sebastopol by Jay Farrar, on Artemis Records. See http://www.artemisrecords.com and http://www.jayfarrar.net.