Jazz Piano?

Pure full swing fun: Gene Harris Trio plus One (the one being Stanley Turrentine)

jazz is a wonderful/terrible word to describe an enormous range of musical expression. at 24, you're "not supposed to like it"? otoh, i have a good friend who similarly perhaps, finds that a lot of jazz starts out with an (annoying) eclectic & somewhat "honking" melody line, and then takes off in a million different directions. later, you hear a few repeats of the somewhat lacking "theme", and then a rousing finish. so he proudly prefers r&r or popular music these days, but once upon a time was a huge fan of van morrison, frank zappa, & jethro tull. i was lucky- my father brought home a copy (now out of print) of dave brubeck's "my favorite things", my 1st real exposure to jazz. it's melodic, demonstrates a straightforward approach to improvisation, the songs aren't too long or too short, and each one is a classic. and, paul desmond is a treasure- no squeaks, honks, or stratospheric runs- just melodies within melodies. but getting a sense of what "jazz music" is is like christopher columbus trying to figure out where he was and where he was going next. my big dumb suggestion- watch ken burns' jazz documentary from beginning to end, and jot down what sounds good to you.

Try this trio: "e.s.t." Just Grand Piano, Double Bass and Drums. Very powerful.