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What's the best way to introduce someone to Jazz?

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Date: 30-Apr-1999 00:11:44
From: john preston lovett ( [email protected] )
I was fortunate to go to a high school in the 50's where the cool thing was jazz...Shearing, Brubeck, Herbie Mann, Mulligan...they were all doing concerts in the high schools, the junior colleges, etc. Then a couple of the labels put out anthologies that brought you from the "muddy blues" to the streets of New A'lins, to West Coast Jazz. A local DJ by the name of Don Howard did a 4pm to 7 pm gig that introduced us Left Coast kids to what was happening back east. WOW!! My dad managed a theatre for a while that had live jazz shows on Sunday evenings, so guess who was back stage playing gopher for Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman, etc. It's a shame that real life intefeared and I had to go to work; but at least I had the money to spend on my records (then tapes, and finally CD's). All in all, a good half century of the worlds best music...ever changing, but always top quality!


Date: 30-Apr-1999 02:44:35
From: C. Glatzel ( [email protected] )
I say you brainwash this alleged accolyte with some Miles: Birth of the Cool Sessions. If that doesn't work, bring out the big guns with the full box set of Live at the Plugged Nickel. That oughtta teach 'em!


Date: 03-May-1999 14:09:02
From: Nathanial Hendler
The best way to introduce someone to jazz is to do it when they're young, or play for them the stuff that you dig, and have dug for a long time.

I agree that 'who the listener is' matters, but I don't think it's a matter of rock=this and folk=that and classical=another. I was a big pop/rock fan, but I never would have liked any fusion. I hate easy listening, but I took to cool jazz right away. My dad had a Jimmy Giuffre 3 LP that I spun relentlessly. Big Band was an early interest of mine. Nat King Cole, then Duke Ellington. Then Bop. etc... I kind of followed the jazz time line. Maybe that's a good method?


Date: 19-May-1999 19:36:25
From: neenbeen
It is spectacular and romantic because it is in the moment and we are amazing creations . Musicianship, passion, ideas AND spontaneity.


Date: 29-May-1999 14:26:41
From: Adão Paulo (wich means Adam Paul) ( [email protected] )
My very first time with jazz was 10 years ago, when i was in a weird bar( at least at that time it looked like to me)and I stopped talking to my friends to whose was that voice. Guess who? Billie Holiday. I probably had heard jazz before, but i wasn't touched untill that time. I'm still in love with Billie, but i also discovered some popes of the Jazz like T. Monk, Milles, Parker, Tatum, Marsallis, Dizzie, etc, etc, etc. As you see, i'm kind of fan only of the standers of the jazz. But no one else from today's gets my attention. Knowing my style, would you introduce me to newer musicians ? I'd apreciate that. By the way, i'm journalist here in Brazil's capital.


Date: 31-May-1999 19:25:30
From: Elen
A number of people have mentioned taking someone to a live jazz event....I'd agree but I wonder what people think about which TYPE of events are useful introductions? I recently went to a local venue (a UK pub)..music great, band really loose & free, but I must have been one of only three people in the whole audience who moved my body (and I'm only talking about moving my foot or slightly swaying, never mind dancing!). I imagine the rest of them know more about jazz than I'll ever know (they acted like it anyway) but what gives with this cerebral-only approach?...I wanna move my body! Anyway, my new-to-jazz friend wanted to leave half-way through as he felt uncomfortable in the atmosphere..and I couldn't blame him. Not sure if this is gender related or not (I'm female). Or is it age? There were few of us under forty there....


Date: 31-May-1999 23:17:35
From: Susie Q
I used to listen to blues and blues-rock (Clapton, Allman Bros, BB King, Muddy Waters etc.). So, my new boyfriend and I split a bottle of wine over dinner. He put on a jazz saxophone record—Zoot Sims (I learned later)— he kissed me and undressed me, and gave me a slow, loving licking. What a solo!

All night it was Lester Young, and Count Basie, and all this bluesy, sexy stuff that I didn't even know existed! I was a convert from that night on!! Very deep associations—I guess. . .


Date: 09-Jun-1999 15:22:26
From: WGMC
Try this




Date: 22-Jun-1999 14:57:07
From: Angela P.
I suggest listening to the local jazz station as an excellent( not to mention free)way to introduce someone to the world of Jazz.

I was first introduced to jazz as a child...every morning on the way to school my parents listened to the local jazz station. I found the music so soothing and it touched me in a way I could not put into words,at that time I did not know I was listening to jazz. When I got older I was into rap,regae and R& B, however everytime I flipped by the jazz station I was always drawn to the music. Then one day I swithed to the jazz station permanently and soon after I purchased my first(of many!) Jazz cd it was Boney James -Sweet Thing


Date: 29-Jun-1999 17:00:05
From: Cynthia
SUSIE Q—Let me know if you break up with the guy!


Date: 30-Jun-1999 06:38:01
From: Mandy ( [email protected] )
I have been reading all the above comments with great interest. I have just stepped through the door marked 'Jazz' (weel I kinda fell through it if the truth were told) at a ripe old age of thirty three. I sang choral music through my school years, but currently sing pop covers in a band and perform in amateur shows. It was by chance that I was invited to audition for a show called "The Hot Mikado." This is a Jazz/Swing/Soul version of the Gilbert & Sullivan Opera, and I would describe it as having a Jazz feel rather than being a Jazz show. Anyway, this lead me to ask the MD about Jazz and I was given two CD's to listen to, one by Dianne Reeves, and the other by Claire Martin. I had to listen to them a few times to really appreciate them, but that really started the ball rolling. As a newcomer to the Jazz scene, I can say that trying to get people into Jazz,perhaps, should not be seen as trying to 'educate' them, and instead just try to find a form of Jazz that they can enjoy. If they want to learn the in's and out's of the genre, then they will soon ask!!


Date: 14-Jul-1999 02:05:20
From: Leo ( [email protected] )
I'm a jazz bassist, and as a musician I think the one thing I that hurts the perception of this wonderful music to the unitiated are musicians who try to impress everyone with their avante-garde wanne-be ideas, at the expense of making music that MOVES your soul and has something emotional to say. Admittedly, I come from a Nat Cole bias, so I guess that means I like 'pretty' music to some hardcore jazzers, but what is jazz but life and love? My college art professor once told a design class I was in that "intelligence always understands intelligence," so if you're wondering why people just don't get your 'cool' music, maybe the problem isn't with them. If music is truly relevant, it will be relevant to most, if not all people. So to me, I would say take someone to see an artist that YOU think has real feeling and expression, and not just monster chops. Same goes for recordings.

A very personal selection of favorite musicians/songs that I would recommend: Johhny Hartman w/John Coltrane "They say it's Wonderful" Duke Ellington "Prelude to a Kiss" Charlie Haden and Quartet West "Haunted Heart" Billie Holiday "Stars Fell on Alabama" Antonio Jobim w/Ellis Regina "Agua de Marco" Bene Moré "Como Fue"

Lastly, if you haven't seen the movie or heard the CD "Buena Vista Social Club," I highly recommend it. It's a wonderful reminder of what good music and good musicians are all about, regardless of style.




Date: 17-Jul-1999 00:40:22
From: Paul
My mom was a jazz singer and every night at supper we had a choice of a second helping of vegetables or listen to a cut from the Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz. It was a no brainer. Now all my brothers and sisters are big jazz fans.


Date: 23-Jul-1999 00:03:38
From: Kenan Hebert ( [email protected] )
This newslist has become more about reminiscing than giving advice, and I think that's appropriate. What did Louis Armstrong say? "If you have to ask, you'll never know." I started out listening to Spyro Gyra and Kenny G, but my tastes evolved quietly, in my own way (in a silent way, pun intended). I never asked anyone. I just bought and bought and read a lot of liner notes. (I learned as much about writing from the liner notes as I did about jazz.) Nobody can tell you what is so great about Coltrane's tone, about Armstrong's phrasing, about Bill Evans' lyricism. That's why it's art. A guy once asked me at a party about jazz. "I'm just getting into jazz," he said, "what should I be listening for?" Louis' quote lept to mind, but as an answer to a direct question, it's too dismissive. So I thought for a long moment, and finally said, "Color." Yes, color. The way a shade of blue can belong totally to Matisse for the moment that you're looking at it, so can Miles' famed muted trumpet when it bends a certain note. You just hear it. You just know it. That's all. I first heard "Blue Train" late in high school, and I played the hell out of it. To me, it was the perfect soundtrack to taking off a girl's bra in the hour between when school let out and Mom got home from work. The perfect sound to hear in a post-orgasmic haze, staring out the window at a late-spring sky. I only understood why so many call it "haunting" very recently. Like, last week. I popped it in for the first time in months, and my mind was in the right place, and the stars were in allignment, and I hadn't eaten any heavy meals, and, for whatever reason, I heard it in a new way. It wasn't just cool, it was cool and dark. Nobody on the face of the planet could've ever explained that to me. I couldn't explain it to anybody else. I treasure the friends of mine who know what I'm talking about.


Date: 25-Jul-1999 11:43:44
From: Alice
Tie him/her to the bed posts and do deliciously dirty things to them with jazz in the background. Say nothing about the music, never even talk about the subject. But everytime they are tied to the bedposts play jazz in the background.

I repeat—never, never even bring up the subject of jazz. Gradually she/he will drift toward jazz, gradually she/he will begin examining strange CDs, and before long will have drifted into the underworld of jazz.


Date: 28-Jul-1999 22:54:49
From: Pat Robertson
ALICE: You give me the shivers, babe.


Date: 31-Jul-1999 09:34:20
From: Sal M.
I have to agree with the comments that say just casually play the music. If someone has good ears they'll pick up on it sooner or later. Also, I've treated some friends to concerts/club gigs (carefully chosen)and made sure they first had a couple of beers/drinks. The latter helps people leave behind their apprehensions and prejudices. Sitting fairly close to the musicians is also a good idea—so it's a new experience visually too.


Date: 02-Aug-1999 11:55:35
From: Colin Gillman ( [email protected] )
Viewpoint from a 'newbie'

I made a conscious decision to 'get more seriously into jazz' about three years ago. There I stood, in the HMV jazz section, asking everybody who came in what did they recommend to a 'newbie.' Wow! What a dumb way to begin...I really thought a whole bunch of strangers would be able to advise me. After all, hadn't I been led to believe that 'jazzers' were a really nice, pleasant and friendly bunch of people that would always take time out to chat about their passion? Hmmm...they did that all right, but unfortunately I didn't have a clue about what the heck they were on about! I'd never heard of hardly any of the artists they mentioned. OK, so I tried another tack. How about starting with an instrument, that'll be a great intro. I liked the sound Oscar Peterson made, so I'd say: "I like Oscar Peterson but I really want to discover something new, something exciting. I've heard all this talk about jazz and I really want to learn about it—can you help?" But all I got was references to more people I'd never heard of, and neither did HMV! I stayed in that store for about three hours trying this and that to 'find inspiration.' I must say that the guy behind the counter was very patient with me, he played most of what was available from the recommendations I'd been given, but it still wasn't the sound I'd wanted—I never did buy anything either!

So there I was one day looking at my record collection and the logic just hit me like a bat around the head. I'd already discovered jazz, and that I actually knew quite a lot about it too. Why? Because I really dig Frank Sinatra (Capitol years) and others like Basie etc. So I already had my intro., I just hadn't worked it out. I still didn't know who was who or what was what in a big band etc. but I started from there and eventually worked my way around to Miles, Bird, Diz and the BeBopper's which is what I'd actually been craving all that time. As the UK jazz journalist and broadcaster Benny Green outlines in his book 'Jazz, the reluctant art,' everybody understands diatonic sounds, even non-musicians, but it's the chromatic sound which has everybody running for cover, but if you persist in listening to chromatic music, eventually you will begin to warm to it. It was only then did I realise what I was actually looking for. However, now I found what I wanted, I soon grew tired of it because all I had was a limited choice.

It wasn't until I was in New York and a chance meeting with a fellow Sinatra enthusiast at Birdland (Jazz Messengers All Stars—May 1998) that proved to be the real turning point for me. Once we exchanged email and started swapping tapes etc., I knew my education was really kicking off. I then read everything I could get hold off such as 'Miles—The Autobiography' (excellent information, rubbish writing style) and 'Straight Life' by Art Pepper did I actually know where I was going and what I actually wanted to hear.

My advise to any newbie is to buy a copy of the New Grove Jazz Dictionary. It has really helped me a whole lot. It's an expensive volume, but well worth it. Since then, I have 'spun off' into big bands, sidemen, soloists, West Coast, bebop, you name it. I can't honestly say I dig Orenette Coleman and such, but maybe that's for another time.

My advise to anyone wishing to 'turn-on' a newbie to jazz is to find out what they like first of all. Start with the obvious, in my case Sinatra, and then work from there. Let's be realistic about this, if you're own personal taste is Bird n' Diz, and some kid asks for somewhere to start in jazz, but Bird n' Diz ain't their thing, you're both wasting time and energy on something which could potentially put the newbie off. If they don't have the foggiest idea what they do like, stick on some Kenny G or Courtney Pine and hope they don't like it—then you've got 'em!!!


Date: 02-Aug-1999 14:24:58
From: Vendy Voo
If the newbie is someone close to you, give them a gift of the Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz. It's a 5 CD set which has everything from Jelly Roll Morton and Louie Armstrong to Eric Dolphy and the World Saxophone Quartet. Included in the set, Martin Williams put together a great little book with comments on all the cuts/players/styles. It really is a wonderful collection. If someone wants to know what Bessie Smith sounds like or Basie or MJQ or Miles or Ornette Coleman or Bill Evans or Ben Webster it's all there. This is simply a great anthology to wander around in with a first rate guide—Martin Williams (who has written several excellent books on jazz—also highly recommended).


Date: 08-Aug-1999 08:21:27
From: Zeke
I'd like to second the above recommendation of the Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz. It's a history of jazz that usually represents major players/composers by at least a cut or two. I think the best way to learn about jazz is to get a sense of its development and spend some time listening to the major figures. Then you have a framework/context to understand new players and styles. Seems to me all jazz is a dialog—with other players in a particular group, and with the great players/composers of the past, in short, the history of jazz. I've been listening to jazz for 20 years and still pull out my trusty Smithsonian vinyl because the selection is so good—the best of the best—enjoy!


Date: 11-Aug-1999 08:19:41
From: Joe
In our house the kids can either listen to jazz or other adult music or put on their headphones and listen to whatever they want. They all have headphones with 20 foot cords—Christmas gifts.

If the Spice Girls are heard—they hear "headphones" and that's it. If they want to put the Spice Girls on the public air waves, meaning the house stereo, arrangements can be made for them to pay their percentage of the mortgage and utilities. So they grow up with jazz—any complaints and "In a Goda Da Vida" and other carefully chosen rock classics replace jazz on the public airwaves—very few complaints.


Date: 11-Aug-1999 20:34:21
From: Cheevoomba
Joe you're a crypto-fascist, if your kids don't grow up hating jazz, they'll at least grow up disliking you. But you probably don't care—you're the type that enjoys pulling the legs off of insects.


Date: 14-Aug-1999 14:34:50
From: Simon L.
I think you do have to know what a person listens to so that you can make a bridge. If they listen to blues/R&B I'd take a different approach than if they listen to classical music. The bridge in the 1st case might be Hank Mobley, in the second maybe Bill Evans, the pianist. You have to be sensitive to a person's taste. This will open the door.


Date: 15-Aug-1999 11:44:02
From: Walter W.
If you want my advice I'd say keep them away from the technical noodling jazz (be-bop, fusion, avant-garde etc.)- stuff that has jettisoned the human heart and soul. Go back to Ellington, to Armstrong, to Basie, to Lester Young, to Roy Eldridge, to Coleman Hawkins, to Johnny Hodges and Ben Webster and Teddy Wilson, and Billie Holiday. Jazz has been running away from its heart for decades—don't be a part of that mistake.


Date: 15-Aug-1999 23:31:40
From: Zeek
Walter—you old tub thumper—good to hear from you again. Although your outrageously narrow outlook is always amusing it's simply not fair to write off all of jazz of the past half century or so. There's plenty you'd like if you'd really listen.


Date: 17-Aug-1999 21:43:34
From: Brent W.
Jazz is like Scotch.....you really need to develope a taste for it...but once you do, its like having a soulmate thats with you forever!! Ever since I was a kid of about 10 or 11 I always like the big-band sound. It wasn't 'till I was around 21 and stationed in Germany that I became wild over the likes of Oscar Peterson, Wes Montgomery, Mile Davis, et al. We all evolve in one way or another. Today my main love is in the area of contemporary jazz...mainly because of one man....Dave Grusin. c];->


Date: 17-Aug-1999 22:42:29
From: Robert Walker-Smith ( [email protected] )
I'm glad to see a variety of points of view here. As for me—classic newbie, have been for years. I keep trying to listen—"My Favorite Things" and "Love Supreme" by Coltrane, "Sketches of Spain" and "Kind Of Blue" by Davis—but it seems like there's something I should know that I don't. My subjective impression is that one has to know something about music to appreciate jazz, and it's necessary to appreciate it in order to enjoy it. And before you jump to conclusions—my musical illiteracy is to the point where I cannot tell when a given piece of music changes key, much less what key it's in. It's only recently that I've even learned what 'key' _is_. So—thoughts, anyone?


Date: 18-Aug-1999 19:05:53
From: Reynolds
If you appreciate the music you are probably hearing more than you are giving yourself credit for; you are probably intuiting the changes. I don't know if it's that important that you can write out the key changes. I suspect ear training is the issue here. I've been listening to jazz for decades and enjoy the music and I couldn't write out the key changes—I'm not a musician. And yet I listen to more and more complex music in a richer way; my musician friends don't think it's a big deal. There are many different ways to listen to a piece of music.

Maybe there's an analogy with literature—technically I couldn't tell you what William Faulkner or Robert Frost are doing but I do enjoy the read and plenty of great literature criticism talks about the writings in thematic ways—never mentioning structural details or iambic pentameter shifts into other meters. Nobody thinks all criticism or appreciation has to be of that nature—it certainly can, and that is useful, but there's lots of ways to read something.




Date: 21-Aug-1999 12:17:33
From: Julie Daniels
I'll go with the Smithsonian Collection—it is every bit as good as the two comments above suggest/describe. It's a joy to listen to and the book/liner notes are superb.


Date: 23-Aug-1999 14:59:39
From: Gordon Polatnick ( [email protected] )
I find that people are either hungry for or appalled by the idea of jazz. It's akin to people who are dying to travel and see the whole world, and those who choose the known comforts of their own world. To expose either group to jazz, I'd start with the elements already familiar to them: Compositions that have been in their lives forever, that have also traveled all over the jazz map. Cole Porter; Gershwin; songs from the Ellington band are good launching off points. Compositions with recognizable melodies and lyrics that many know or could quickly learn, can lead the initiate through all the phases of jazz as these standards are constantly showing up as proving grounds for new talent. Frank Sinatra's "My Cole Porter," or any of the Ella "Songbooks" are excellent primers. From there it's going to be hit or miss. Different interpreters of these compositions will attract or repel the listener. Individual tastes will determine whether Clifford Brown is God or not. It's also more enjoyable to see live jazz when you can recognize the melody and try to follow its transmutations through the various solos.


Date: 29-Aug-1999 15:06:29
From: Mike
I am wondering if jazz programs in schools and colleges will ultimately kill jazz in this country? To make a wonderful art like jazz a part of the bureaucracy, which will take it further away from art and more and more toward another academic career, may be akin to nailing the lid on the coffin.

Further up on this thread someone said that maybe it should be made illegal if we want young people to become curious—maybe that's not so far off the mark.

Let's face it—bureaucratizing poetry in this country has done little to improve its quality but it has created this huge loosly knit institution that is deadly to its genuine development. Making advancement in the bureaucracy dependent on quantity of publishing/recording does not encourage art; it does encourage careerism which is a quick path to mediocrity.

Of course there will be vigorous disagreement. People do like to think that they haven't sold out. It is a terrible risk to be a true artist. I don't think Eric Dolphy or Lester Young were worrying about their pension.


Date: 30-Aug-1999 23:15:15
From: Nell
"My books are water; those of the great geniuses are wine. Everybody drinks water."

Mark Twain


Date: 02-Sep-1999 16:48:32
From: ladybop
The best way to introduce a young person to jazz? Just let them hear some.


Date: 06-Sep-1999 00:58:16
From: Robert ( [email protected] )
I have to respond to Ladybop's optimistic suggestion. When I was young, my parents received a gift of several LPs—ten or fifteen of them. One day I looked through them, finding unfamiliar names like Thelonius Monk and Miles Davis. I pulled one out at random and played it. In most accounts of this type, my youthful mind would be blown by the wonderful music. I just sat there, listening for and not finding any identifiable melody. Finally, in frustration, I put it back, thinking, "This must be one of those things grownups understand," and never touched them again. Frankly, that's still how (almost all) jazz makes me feel. When my husband told me that Vince Guaraldi was considered a jazz musician, I blurted out, "But I enjoy his music!" with an incredulous expression. Jazz that you can enjoy listening to—that does not compute.

Postscript—I recently found a song by Art Ensemble of Chicago I do enjoy listening to. I have no idea how that happened.


Date: 16-Sep-1999 12:42:22
From: robert budd ( [email protected] )
jazz is a very beautiful thing-a beginner should grab him or herself a glass of wild turkey-grab a good $10 cigar and listen to some fine music every night-between lung and alcoholism treatments i would suggest some: johnny hodges,joe pass and even a dose of clifford brown.i have always been a fan of 50's,60's and 70's jazz-especially the 60's was a great period in my eyes. sonny stitt,gigi gryce,oscar peterson,jimmy smith,paul gonsalves,etc etc.i have never been a fan of NEW jazz or be-bop.coltrane,ornette,miles have never been down my alley-just don't get the feet tapping


Date: 30-Sep-1999 14:23:59
From: andrew ( [email protected] )
it is interesting how everyone on this list has different stories of how they got into jazz. i am 19 and i have been listening to it for about 3 years. i have always listened to punk rock, prog, art rock and ambient stuff (i have always hated hippie stuff and i dont really like blues). the stuff i listen to is very melodic. some of the bands i listen to are influenced by jazz, and my friend played me some miles and art blakey. i listen to it all the time now. just play jazz records for your friends and see what they think. also, you can get into jazz through any music.


Date: 24-Oct-1999 13:16:02
From: Mel
I highly recommend Mingus' Alice's Wonderland. It is beautiful. It grooves and has beautiful melodies. Lee Morgan's Best of is excellent, especially with tunes like "The Sidewinder" and "Rumproller" that party vibes to them. I'm a firm believer in the magic of Chet Baker, especially on vocals. A little Wes Montgomery never hurt anybody.


Date: 24-Oct-1999 13:16:06
From: Mel
I highly recommend Mingus' Alice's Wonderland. It is beautiful. It grooves and has beautiful melodies. Lee Morgan's Best of is excellent, especially with tunes like "The Sidewinder" and "Rumproller" that party vibes to them. I'm a firm believer in the magic of Chet Baker, especially on vocals. A little Wes Montgomery never hurt anybody.


Date: 05-Nov-1999 02:23:15
From: Graham
I am currently studying Jazz in Toronto. I am taking upright lessons from one of Duke Ellington's former bassists. The reason why I got into jazz has nothing to do with jazz at all. Simply put, the act of learning an instrument inspired me to look to different kinds of music. I learned to play bass because the guitar part on Led Zeppelin's "Gallow's Pole" was too difficult.

Some Great albums that I find inspiring and accesible are: 1. Cannonball Adderly "Live In Japan" (zawinul on keys) 2. Bela Fleck and The Flectones "Three Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" 3. John Scofield "A Go-Go" 4. George Benson "The Other Side of Abbey Road" 5. Oscar Peterson "West Side Story" 6. Manhattan Transfer "Birdland" —2cd 7. Dave Grusin "Two For the Road" 8. DiMeola, McLaughlin, DeLucia "A Friday Night In San Fransisco"—perhaps the most remarkable live music ever 9. Weather Report "Heavy Weather" 10.Joni Mitchell "Shadows and Light" (Metheny, Pastorius, Mays, Brecker, Alias playing backup) 11.Victor Wooten "A Show of Hands"

I believe each of these albums to be infinitely more accessible than Kind of Blue.


Date: 26-Nov-1999 19:21:30
From: Angela ( [email protected] )
I really think that if you have a good sense of harmony, and appreciate good quality music, it is impossible to dont like it. Since I have a musician in my family (my mother uses to play "cello" in an experimental orchestra)I grew up listening to very "high level" music. So, there s no way to dont like it!!! I surely recommend for the begginers (as I am!) performers like:

Diana Krall; Charlie Parker; Chick Corea; And, most of all (the best to me, as I love big bands), is Count Basie Orchestra, particullary the newest arrangements.

If there s someone interested in talk about the great musicians from the Count Basie Band, please do so!!




Date: 01-Feb-2000 10:48:25
From: sherry
I am 53 and even though I grew up in the rock'n roll era, I don't have anything Elvis, etc. I know the tunes but give me artistes like Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubeck, Jonah Jones, Jimmy Smith, George Shearing, Louis Armstrong; singers like Ella, Billie, Al Hibbler, Nat Cole, the list goes on. I do like Boz Scaggs, Al Jarreau, to name a few, but nothing beats Miles Davis 'Summertime' or Brubeck's 'Shortenin' Bread.' Diane Krall would be a good way of introducing jazz. She is very talented. Only someone with a mindblock could resist her!


Date: 01-Feb-2000 10:52:30
From: sherry
I am 53 and even though I grew up in the rock'n roll era, I don't have anything Elvis, etc. I know the tunes but give me artistes like Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubeck, Jonah Jones, Jimmy Smith, George Shearing, Louis Armstrong; singers like Ella, Billie, Al Hibbler, Nat Cole, the list goes on. I do like Boz Scaggs, Al Jarreau, to name a few, but nothing beats Miles Davis 'Summertime' or Brubeck's 'Shortenin' Bread.' Diane Krall would be a good way of introducing jazz. She is very talented. Only someone with a mindblock could resist her!


Date: 15-Feb-2000 12:25:48
From: Mick
Although I first got into jazz through 'Kind of Blue' and 'A Love Supreme,' and would still recommend them to any newcomer, the album that most enthused my non jazz listening housemates over the past year was 'Ole Coltrane.' And thinking about it for a second this little discussed album, Cotranes last on Atlantic, is probably perfect as an introduction for listeners with a modern sensibility. The two basses on the title track and its trancey mesemeric feel make those who have grown up with the deep repetitive beats of house and techno feel instantly at home. Match that alongside two gorgeous ballads, 'Aisha' and 'To Her Ladyship' featuring beautiful playing from 'Trane, Freddie Hubbard and McCoy Tyner, add to the mix the unusual cover art and oblique liner notes and you have a record which could capture the imagination of any genuinely musical person. Of course there will always be those who simply cannot hear whats happening, but better not to waste time and energy on the congenital philistine.


Date: 23-Mar-2000 19:41:26
From: DUKE ELLINGTON ( DUKEEDWARDJAZZKEDDENDYELLINGTON.COM )
I THINK THAT JAZZ IS A GREAT KIND OF MUSIC AND I JUST GOT THIS COMPUTER EVEN THOUGH IT IS 1945 I HAVE JUST EARNED ENOUGH MONEY TO BYE IT!! I THINK THAT JAZZ COULD BE EXPRESED IN MANY WAYS AND IF YOU ALL REALLY WANT TO KNOW I DID GROW UP IN A GREAT HOME WITH A LOVEING MOTHER AND JAZZ IS AN AWSOME KIND OF MUSIC BUT THINK THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE SITES THAT THAT YOU CAN LISTEN TO MY MUSIC AND STRAYHORN FOR EVERYONES INFO IS A VERY NICE PERSON MANY PEOPLE SAY HE IS BAD BUT HES NOT. I DONT THINK THAT JAZZ IS A VERY BAD KIND OF MUSIC BUT IT IS VERY HARD TO PLAY THATS WHY ME AMD MY BAND MAKEUP OUR OWN MUSIC WELL I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT THE REASON I PLAY JAZZ IS BECAUSE I LIKE TO PLAY IT AND IT SOUNDS REALLY NICE


Date: 26-Mar-2000 19:50:27
From: Mark Stevens ( [email protected] )
I got hooked on jazz listening to my older brothers albums he left behind when he got drafted in 1967. Although I was only a kid i got hooked. Mile Davis and Cannonball Adderly were his favorites and they became mine. After I joined the military in 1977, I added others to the collection: Tom Scott, Billy Cobham, and Hiroshima. Today I listen to Keiko Matsui and Joe Sample. I think jazz is such beatiful music that everyone given the chance would fall in love with it.


Date: 12-Apr-2000 01:49:42
From: Intonarumori ( [email protected] )
Well if they are stuck up metalheads like I once was...play em something off of Di Meolas "Elegant Gypsy" or something from the early Mahavishnu Years...and if they have an open mind and really want to know jazz...give em something by Sun Ra..that will keep their ears busy for a week...haha


Date: 18-Apr-2000 11:15:07
From: Scott Parker ( [email protected] )
I learned my love of jazz from my sister. A true 60's/70's baby, Gil Scott Heron, Roy Ayers, Herbie Hancock. I too believe that it is dependent to "whom" your introducing to this great art. Finding out what "their" idea of jazz is, can be a starting point more so than just recommending music. It can't be explained.


Date: 15-May-2000 08:43:28
From: Xabier encinas (France) ( [email protected] )
Befor to became a jazz trumpeter (2 years ago), I was DJ, hip-hop DJ. One day, I went to take some old records from my father to find something to scratch with. I tried a lot of records and I have heard "My funny Valentine" recorded by The Miles Davis Quintet. The day after I let down my turn tables and I begin to learn trumpet. Jazz is a kind of music who everybody can learn something you just need to heard Miles or coltrane... Jazz can open your eyes... Peace


Date: 12-Jun-2000 14:09:38
From: Sharon ( [email protected] )
I have been scanning this site some, because I am trying to find a nice way to "break in" new friend of mine. So, if I repeat anything on here, I'm sorry. I got into jazz by playing it and seeing/hearing it played live. In those experiences, I felt like a part of the action. For the non-musician, playing isn't really an option (at least realistically). So I take 'em to a live show (of the kind of jazz I think they'll like) and explain what's happening (soloing, etc) as it happens. They usually want to go back for more! (Of course having an enthusiastic friend along helps!)

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