X

XANADU. Established in 1975, Xanadu became a highly successful jazz record label. Xanadu created two divisions or series of recordings: one for reissues of Swing and Bebop artists and the other for recording new material of artists inspired by those eras. Artists to record on Xanadu include Sonny Criss, Dexter Gordon, Barry Harris, and Al Cohn. Xanadu eventually stopped recording new music in the 1990s and served as a label just for distributing and reissuing.

XYLOPHONE. A percussion instrument that is made up of bars or keys of various lengths that sound various pitches when hit by a stick or mallet. The bars or keys are pitched and arranged the same way as a piano, are made out of wood or various types of synthetic alternatives, and usually have a range of two to four octaves. The instrument has roots in African, Asian, and European cultures. The xylophone is not as common in jazz as a similar instrument, the vibraphone. The vibraphone differs from the xylophone in that it has metal bars instead of wood, and it employs the use of a sustain pedal. The xylophone was used sparingly during the 1920s and 1930s and would make occasional appearances in modern jazz settings, but it is rarely used by performers other than vibraphonists.