[MrWookie]

While that wiki definition is accurate I suppose, they didn't give Ellington nearly enough credit. Sure, Gershwin and Cole Porter wrote a bunch of songs you know, but Ellington was way, way more prolific and influential than either of those two. While this genre didn't start with Ellington, and it didn't end with him, he's hugely responsible for just about everything in the middle. A lot of his music is instrumental, though. The first place I'd start looking for stuff to is when Ella Fitzgerald is singing with him. Ella's singing is just so good, both from a technical stand point and for her improvizations. I recently picked up an album of Ella singing with Basie, too, I think called "A Classy Pair" that features some excellent tracks. Not only Ella's singing, but Basie's piano is great, too.