Jazz for someone who doesn't like jazz.

@oregonpapa I have to say I have a hard time hearing anyone other than Sam Cooke doing that song. I think Cooke had one of the best voices ever and I think that song is one of his best.
A completely different thought- where in the world of jazz music do the Squirrel Nut Zippers fall? Was it swing? Was it ragtime? Was it jazz? Were they just a novelty act?
I don't know the answers to any of those questions but I bought the CD when it came out. It was fun and my kids liked it. I still listen from time to time. I don't know how it was accepted by the jazz community but it is clear to me that whatever they were they were a talented group of musicians.

n80 ...

Well, I have to admit, I had never heard of the Squirrel Nut Zippers before you brought them up. I did, however, check them out on Spotify. I listened to everything that they offered on the site.

If I had to categorize their style of "jazz," I’d put them somewhere in the Traditional Jazz camp, ala Louis Armstrong and his "Hot Five", with some Django Reinhart thrown in, spiced up for a little humor with the old Spike Jones band.
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I got this CD in the mail today:

A 1959 stereo recording of Mel Torme’ and the Meltones, "Back in Town."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaOpcJEfkQc&list=RDVaOpcJEfkQc&start_radio=1&t=32

The recording features Jack Sheldon - trumpet. Art Pepper - alto. Victor Feldman - vibes. Tommy Tedesco, Tony Rizzi, Barney Kessel - guitars. Joe Mondragon - bass. Mel Lewis - drums.

The CD sounds way better than the YouTube video.
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And as long as we’re on the subject of jazz "For Someone Who Doesn’t Like Jazz," how about we check out some "jazz" done with the feet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IBteauWsHA

And then later in their career with the Cab Calloway band:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8yGGtVKrD8

And finally, there is this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzc7vY9VTnk

Okay, is there anyone left around here who still doesn't like jazz?  :-)

Frank

The way I've always expanded my interests in music, whether jazz or otherwise, is to first listen at the gut level to what moves me without getting caught up in other people's suggestions...then grow out from that center by finding out more about the artists and their influences and contemporaries, who they recorded with, who they mention in liner notes, etc. I started with Billie Holiday 35 years ago and am still finding new artists this way. With all the tools we have these days to sample music –  Amazon, YouTube, Spotify, etc. – there is no end to what you can find. I'd also strongly suggest to get out and see as much live performance as you can once we have closed this COVID chapter...so much of jazz is about interplay, and you can't always grasp that in a recording...but you can sure feel it live. Enjoy! 

@mdemaio Thank you for your response. And sure, seeing what comes naturally and what hooks you is great. As you say....."there is no end to what you can find" but that very reason can make it a challenge to dive into any genre unguided. The signal to noise ratio is low. One could spend hours and hours listening to garbage and then wrongly assume "jazz is not for me".

And even though I've only been a member here for a year or so, I've come to trust the good judgement and good taste of some of these folks. That helps narrow the field and increases chances of "success" in my opinion.

Even in the case of rock and R&B which I know pretty well I have gotten recommendations here on great music that I now love that I might never have come across otherwise.

In any case, you are correct, the interconnectedness of jazz makes it an interesting and twisting path and I'm still enjoying that. The Ken Burns series is helpful on that account as well.

So far I have to admit that I'm still a little luke warm on jazz. I do recognize in it enough to keep me listening though. The hook may come later. It might not. But, learning about it will not have been a waste of time even if it doesn't hook me in.

I do plan on seeing some live jazz as soon as possible.

+1 on  Halie Loren!