If you think it’s daunting (or, for the snobs, prestigious) to keep up with the ever-expanding world of indie rock then you haven’t yet approached the underground-of-undergrounds that is the jazz music scene. In record sales, availability of live venues, or general promotion/ public awareness, jazz is the superlative radar-dodging musical genre. So where does one begin their exploration? Below (after a severely truncated list of foundation-building albums) are profiles of several musicians that are shaping the current sound of jazz and whose music is well worth finding.

First, to contextualize, the novice should check out the following artists and albums. These are not necessarily the most historically-significant or easy-to-follow records, but they’re some of the best examples of the art form...

In a capitalist economy, it’s a constant battle to find the best clothes at the best prices. Why buy a 400 dollar dress when you can buy 40 dollar one? Incidences of copycatting in the fashion world are a dime a dozen, all in the pursuit of high fashion clothes for low-budget shoppers.

The concept is not new. Year after year, Federated is sued by floundering boutique-owners, girls buy rip-off runway looks from the mall, and there’s the time-honored tradition of buying designer imitations in Chinatown. Americans want the quickest, cheapest route to high-fashion. If someone suffers, so be it. We live in a culture of rip-off fashion.

Recently, boutique owners and designers Anna Corinna and Dana Foley were featured in The New York Times as oft-imitated geniuses, who struggle to kick counterfeiters out of their store in an effort to protect their creativity. Paris Hilton wore a 400 dollar dress on television by the aptly named Foley & Corinna line, which was copied into a 40 dollar version soon after. The article depicted the designers as reluctant “incubators” for the large-scale counterfeit operations and even high-end designers.

However, the women of Foley & Corinna, are not victims. A small company compared to couture houses and grandscale boutiques, they have struggled to spread the word about their great looks to avoid losing fame in the constant stream of imitation. Yet they continue to profit from their designs. Although they recognize the scandalous aggression of knock-off vultures, they are rising financially in spite of the copies, and perhaps because of the initial publicity. The times article was on the front page of the Business section, and the counterfeiters who come into the store are buyers too. Shopping fuels itself; the cycle of new fashion and the people who copy continues to turn profit for both parties involved.

By Alexandra Bregman

What do economist Jeffrey Sachs, financier George Soros, musician John Legend and American Idol winner Melinda Doolittle have in common? They were all at Lincoln Center May 15 for an annual gala fundraiser to help the people of Africa. Equal parts concert and award dinner, the event brought in over $2 million dollars for the UN's Millenium Project and its sister organization, Malaria No More.

Diaphanous blue drapes hung across the sloped glass ceiling. Giant screens expressed sun-baked African scenery. The reception hall resounded with the jazzy stylings of guest musicians Kirk Whalum and Takana Miyamoto, commissioned by one of the event's biggest contributors, the Simmons Foundation. Simmons himself, in a dapper suit, smiled at me across a garden-patch table that flickered with candlelight.

"An easy shift of priorities in this nation and the EU can end poverty forever," he said with certainty.