Help Where to start with jazz?????

Here are some representative works from each of the periods.

Early Jazz--Louis Armstrong Hot Five or Hot Seven recordings.

Swing--Ellington,Live at Newport.

Bop--Charles Parker,Ornathology

Cool--Miles Davis,Kind of Blue

Hard Bop--Coltrane,Giant Steps

Modern--Bill Evans,Sunday Afternoon at the Vanguard.

Mark C. Gridley wrote a one volume jazz history that is an excellent read,much better than most textbooks. He includes lists of recordings.