Jazz for someone who doesn't like jazz.

Danny was purely INCREDIBLE!! 

Great suggestions so far.
I'll add new modern days jazz performers:
Andrea Motis
Khruangbin
Jamiroquay
Snarky Puppy
Fresh Cut Orchestra
Mohini Dey

I think you should try some old school hard bop first. Start with "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis. Then, check out "Adam's Apple" by Wayne Shorter. Finally, listen to "Slow Drag" by Donald Byrd. These are very accessible albums, and should give you a good springboard.

Perhaps some Claude Bolling might give you some joy.

2nd -

Jamiroquai.  Happy Listening!

@n80  George, I just read through this entire thread. A really interesting and good read.

I don't believe this has been mentioned directly (my apologies if I missed that)...

My advice would be to choose the musical instrument you most love (which may be guitar [???] based on the Blues selections you mention)....

and look for solo or significant leads (group leader / compositions) with that corresponding instrument within the Jazz Genre.

In other words, follow the instrument that has already hooked you.

- David.

If guitar then: Mike Stern "Upside Downside"

I believe it meets the "accessibility" and some tracks the "easy listening" criteria / definition that posters have alluded to.

Start with the 'Mood Swings' track to see if it appeals to you.

(note: in case it hasn’t been previously mentioned)

Dr. John "Sun, Moon & Herbs"
A little crazy, a little gris gris, a little swamp boogie, and then some. 😊
Side 2, first track, great bass drum thumps (on LP at least) et al.
Michélle 🇿🇦

David_Ten, Good suggestion regarding using the instrument to move forward. Though not suggested to me, that's basically how I picked it up, with Sax players replacing guitarist and off you go.

Also the Stern suggestion was nice. 

Thanks again guys. I'm still following the various suggestions being given in this thread.

@david_ten , listening to Mike Stern right now.

As far as an update, well, I've been listening to all the various suggestions I've gotten in this thread and I've watched the entire Ken Burns Jazz documentary which I really enjoyed.

I have been exploring jazz for about 2 months now. I definitely have a better understanding of jazz and its various forms. I have a better understanding of its history. I have a much better appreciation for the whole genre and what its all about. I have enjoyed a lot of what I've listened to.


However, I'm almost embarrassed to say that I'm not hooked yet. I say 'yet' because I'm not done trying and maybe it will come. As I've said before, some of my favorite songs/albums across various music types are ones that it took a long time to appreciate. So I'm not giving up.

I had a strange experience with Coltrane's Love Supreme. In the Burns documentary one of the Marsalis brothers, I think it was Branford, talked about how hearing that album for the first time was a transformative, life changing experience. He was practically addicted to the album. So I immediately listened to it. I didn't get it. I didn't hate it, but it certainly didn't draw me in.......but, after it was over, I got a feeling that I understood what he was trying to say, vaguely at best, but still, there was something there. I listened to it again and that feeling did not grow. Not something I could put my finger on but also not 'nothing'. I've listened to it a couple of more times and I still haven't developed a greater appreciation for it. But, I'm going to continue to give it a listen every now and then.

Maybe something will click.

@acman3  Thank you!

Since you are active on the 'Jazz for Aficionados' Thread, perhaps you (or others that have posted here) can answer the following:

One aspect that really stood out as 'Missing' in the recommendations and posts in this thread was North European / Scandinavian Jazz (~~~ the ECM artists...).

Thoughts on the reasons?  Thank you.

2nd 

Dr. John - R.I.P.

Oscar Peterson Trio, We Take Requests

David, short answer, ignorance. 

Help us out.

@acman3  I'm not sure I can help out as it's a head scratcher for me.

I figured that perhaps the focus (primarily) on American musicians was in service of  and/or in preferred service of the OP's request and stated needs as well as for historic / origin purposes.

In general, I find the Continental Jazz scene under-represented in our forum, which may be another reason; i.e. simply a lack of interest (?).

As an example, Melos (the track, also the album name) by Vassilis Tsabropoulos - a Greek Pianist, Anja Lechner - a German cellist, and U.T. Gandhi - an Italian percussionist just spun up via Roon Radio. 

It's a Decca / ECM label. It's also one of two of Vassilis' albums I have in my library. The other being Achirana, with John Marshall (British) on drums and Arild Andersen (Norwegian) on double bass. 

Both are gorgeous works, for me. 

Easy, Lawrence Welk .

Follow up from the OP (me). It has been nearly a year since my last post in this thread.

During the following months I had pretty much given up on jazz. Just wasn't going back to it much other than Branford Marsalis' album "Eternal" on Sunday mornings from time to time.

I still don't listen to a lot of jazz and when I do it is not a wide variety. But in the last few months I do find myself going back to Kind of Blue, A Love Supreme (still challenging) and Art Blakey's Moanin'.


Kind of Blue makes sense to me now and I'm listening to it fairly often.

One of the reasons that I'm still hanging on could be that I'm learning to play drums (slowly, painfully) and jazz drumming interests me. It is way beyond me and I don't see me becoming proficient but it is intriguing and I'll probably continue to study it. (I can play through Blakey's Moanin' but it is very simple).

Anyway, just thought I'd provide the update. Can't say I'm hooked on jazz but it hasn't let me go yet either.

If Kind of Blue "makes sense " to you, now, perhaps you might explore other late 50's recordings by Cannonball, Coltrane, Miles and B. Evans.

Just bear in mind that Kind of Blue is an unusual album-- not only because it emerged at a point when improvisation based upon show tunes and chord-changes was about to shift over to a greater focus upon  more open-ended structures and scalar improvisation but also because of its incredibly broad and enduring appeal. It's fairly unique as an art-work.

In order to make suggestions, it would be helpful to know what aspects of K. of B. you most enjoy... after all, there's quite a stylistic distance from,  say, "Freddie Freeloader" to "Flamenco Sketches". Are you drawn more to the more brash, earthy, Bluesy side of the spectrum or the more introspective, mellow, ethereal, side? ? ? 

op

kenny burrell's guitar forms would be worth consideration as well, if kind of blue is clicking

stuartk, I am branching out with the artists you mentioned. I think I'm drawn now to the late bop and early modal stuff.

As for your question, I'm not sure.  I think it will take some more thought since I like all of the songs. Probably not sophisticated enough to appreciate the breadth of the stylistic range you refer to yet.  But, I think I'd rank Freddie Freeloader last and Flamenco Sketches and So What at the top. Probably less drawn to the brash side of things (in jazz). More drawn to the ethereal and introspective side but not sure if that excludes the bluesy stuff because I like slow blues which I find can be introspective and even mellow. I really like Blue in Green.

However, if I tried to do the same thing with a Zeppelin album, for instance, it still might be difficult even though I'm very tuned into the nuances there and appreciate the stylistic variations within many of their albums since I like a quiet acoustic folk song like Bron-Yr-Aur and a rocking blues epic like In My Time of Dying all on the same album.

But, its good to think about it and to learn to appreciate the differences so I'll continue to think about it.

Great-- you're making progress, getting clearer!  Jazz is a huge genre-- like an ocean, with so much to explore. It may take some time to discover what really turns you on... I've found the journey well worth it.   

Check this out this version of Flamenco Sketches:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG67qTPYfMw&list=OLAK5uy_n8lL4wMUxDhzrUjKU7D4LLlpX-gLO2bec&i...

If you like it, here's a link to the full album:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=joe+henderson+so+near+so+far+full+album

You can always PM me if you'd like more suggestions... 

@jjss49: I will certainly look into Kenny Burrell. Thanks.

@stuartk: Thanks for those recommendations as well.

Since you like Van's "Astral Weeks", you might check out Tim Buckley and John Martyn-- these aren't Jazz artists-- they're "jazzy" singer-songwriters. . . 

A couple tastes: 

Tim Buckley:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWbRWJOocbY&list=OLAK5uy_n099pgRyT1w-ncO224f_6UDrkefyBeGps&i...

John Martyn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkettVnbjcQ&list=OLAK5uy_k7fEQs-p51Ri-iOm2c2mXBG5PUMQ9F60A

Maybe try something bluesy

Hittin' The Jug - Gene Ammons
After Hours - Roy Haynes

@stuartk and @franklinb66 Thanks. I will look into those as well.

You're welcome.

If you like Jazz on the bluesy side, as franklinb66 suggested, there's lots to explore ! ! !  

Like Gene Ammons, Stanley Turrentine recorded a lot of bluesy stuff.
Cannonball, too. An entire thread could easily be dedicated to this genre.