@fthompson251
Good! ;-) Now try Ben Webster at the Renaissance. Another great live recording, captured on an improvised early stereo setup by Webster's record producer.
There have been some excellent comments about the nature of jazz and what to listen for. I'm a somewhat conservative fan. I like it when I can:
1) Recognize the tune, or at least the chord changes, which are typically based on a standard tune, like "I Got Rhythm" or "How High the Moon" or something like that. Certain sets of "changes" can be inspiring for the soloist and allow him or her to create interesting and memorable improvisations.
2) Tap my foot! Whether it's a ballad or an up-tempo number, the rhythm section really has to swing. I'm not knocking other approaches to jazz, but I do like to be moved to dance around the room a bit. ;-) It's worth bearing in mind that many, many fine jazz albums of the '50's and '60's were geared toward people having cocktails and dancing in their homes. It was hard to sell a record you couldn't dance to!