My first Jazz cd

A good place to check out online is the Jazz Musical Heritage Society - http://www.musicalheritage.com/JAZZ/
They aren't necessarily the cheapest place around, but I have been very pleased with the quality of their cd's.

Lots of great suggestions here. Mine is Cannonball Adderley's "Somethin' Else." It's my understanding that this is basically a Miles LP that was released under Cannonball's name for contractual reasons (longtime jazz gurus correct me if I'm wrong.) Kind of Blue is undeniably wonderful but I find I'd rather listen to, well, Somethin' Else most of the time. I love the Blue Note sound, and the late fifties Riverside stuff. Personal faves are Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, absolutely fantastic stuff. Donald Byrd, Milt Jackson, Kenny Drew, Sonny Stitt, MJQ, Monk, Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, oh man oh man. All that stuff from about 57-61 or so just blows me away. Can't wait to hear some of this stuff on SACD.

Clearly excellent advice from all prior posts. If I might suggest a different twist...if you haven't already done so, I would recommend if possible you take in a live session at an intimate jazz club venue. I think you'll come away with a much heightened perspective/appreciate for all your jazz CD, LP, FM, etc., listening sessions thereafter. BTW, 88.3 FM (WBGO FM) is a truly outstanding (and free) jazz station/resource. If you are outside their range, you can pick up their broadcast via the Internet. Moreover, their Web site in general is an invaluable free resource: http://www.wbgo.org/
Good Listening,
Rick

I can't quibble (much) with most of the items listed, but all of the CDs I've listed below will give you great jazz without scaring the bejesus out of you, especially if you digest them more or less in the order shown:

1) Bill Evans-Waltz for Debby-or Sunday at the Village Vanguard
2) Miles Davis-Kind of Blue
3) Chico Freeman-Spirit Sensitive
4) Tommy Flanagan-Sea Changes
5) Modern Jazz Quartet-The Last Concert (It wasn't, but get it anyway!)
6) Clifford Brown/Max Roach-Any of the EmArcy reissues
7) Duke Ellington-Newport '58: The fairly recent 2CD reissue on Columbia where they actually blended separate mono tapes into a convincing stereo mix
8) John Coltrane-Giant Steps
9) Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners
10) Miles Davis/Gil Evans-The Columbia sampler CD of the big band sessions compiled from the boxed set
11) Charles Mingus: Tijuana Moods
12) Ornette Coleman-The Shape of Jazz To Come
13) Dave Douglas-Stargazer

Well, that's a lot more than one, but it is a pretty good Baker's Dozen that will give you an overview of jazz in the past half century.

Please consider buying a good tuner(if you don't already have one) and listen to as many Jazz programs as you can. Most public broadcasting and local college stations will have a Jazz program or two...or more, that will open new worlds for you. Also take in live Jazz in your area.

By listening to FM programs..and live events, your Jazz CD and album purchasing will be more accurate.

Best, Jim