I found years ago that big band jazz is pretty easy to enjoy & “ understand “ for someone unfamiliar w/ much of jazz as I was. It’s generally more structured w/ less improvisation.
stuartK’s explanation of jazz is excellent & it may sound strange but I really began to appreciate the Grateful Dead after I realized that much of their music follows this jazz format of stating a central theme as a group, taking turns w/ variations on that theme & then finally returning to that group theme albeit often a bit changed or even expanded. For those who don’t know, Jerry Garcia was a great musician who could play many types of music at a high level.