Jazz: From It's Origins to the Present by Lewis Porter and Michael Ullman is an excellent introduction to jazz. It's a paperback text book. Very clear and easy to read. It explains why certain people or music are "important" and puts them into their historical context. You get a good sense of what the good artists and pieces are.
The book accompanies/tracks a jazz collection put out by the Smithsonian, as they sometimes go into specific pieces on that set. Try to pick one up cheap on half.com.
I use the Penguin Guide to Jazz and www.allmusic.com to learn more about artists and pick albums. They're choices are pretty straight ahead and obvious to the more seasoned jazz fan, but you won't be lead astray with any critic's unusual tastes.
The book accompanies/tracks a jazz collection put out by the Smithsonian, as they sometimes go into specific pieces on that set. Try to pick one up cheap on half.com.
I use the Penguin Guide to Jazz and www.allmusic.com to learn more about artists and pick albums. They're choices are pretty straight ahead and obvious to the more seasoned jazz fan, but you won't be lead astray with any critic's unusual tastes.