Can you recommend Jazz for some one that doesn't like Jazz?

I am not an expert but Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Count Basie, Blood Sweat and Tears, Tom Waits are easy and fun. But I always feel like: if I enjoy it and I understand it, it's probably not jazz. I also agree with the point that if you haven't gotten to like jazz till now, what's the point? There are probably 100s of tracks produced this year alone that match your taste and you haven't discovered yet. 

I always recommend Larry Coryell "Fairyland":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4wmTzQpOpI&ab_channel=LarryCoryell-Topic

Jazz for people that like rock

 

Interesting thread as I also find Jazz confusing. I like George Benson Breezing, Vince Guaraldi Peanuts (big childhood fan), and some 1939-1940s jazz I heard in movies. Never warmed up to Bill Evan’s, Miles Davis, or thus type of seemingly “Freeform” jazz - some trumpet solos just sound awful/irritating, lacking melodies. I tried to look up jazz genres, there were over 30 - totally confusing. So I gave up digging into jazz for now as I have plenty of other favored genres to explore: rock, classical, vocals, soundtracks, big band, etc.

Bill Evans trio or MJQ

@fthompson251 -

Since you mentioned Ron Carter, check out the duet recordings he did with Houston Person.

Chemistry

Dialogue

Now's the Time

This is great everyone and thank you for all the suggestions, I got some homework to do! I should have not described my wishes as smooth jazz, that isn't correct. Some I have already added to the Jazz playlist are Kenny Burell, Wes Montgomery, Ron Carter, Stanley Turrentine and Bob Brookmeyer. THANK YOU!

@fthompson251

I’m right there with you. It’s like I’m supposed to like Miles Davis but the music is just meh to me. I appreciate the technical ability but it all just sounds like people playing scales.

That said I do find myself drawn to the quite a bit of it just not all the hard core

Cannonball Adderley Nancy Wilson
Oscar Nelson Blues And The Abstract Truth
Paolo Fresu Alma
Paolo Fresu Mare Nostrum
Lady Blackbird
Sidsel Endresen, Bugge Wesseltoft Out Here. In There (which gets kinda out there but grows on you)
and then classic jazz singers Ella, Sara, Dinah Washington and not really jazz but has to mentioned Etta James

 

Some very knowledgeable posts here already.  I'll just add my 5 recommendations -- you mentioned "smooth jazz," so here are some well recognized albums:

Breezin by George Benson

Duotones by Kenny G

The In Crowd by Ramsey Lewis

A Day in the Life by Wes Montgomery

Mister Magic by Grover Washington, Jr.

If you've been trying for 30 years and you just don't get, then why keep trying.  It's not like anything going to change.

Here’re some accessible jazz musicians to try. I suggest "accessible" because you can more easily discern and learn to appreciate theme and variation which, as described above, is central to jazz. None of my suggestions are Big Band, Avant Garde, raucous, cacophonic, etc. You can find more music by any of the musicians I mention simply by going to Wikipedia and searching. For each artist, there should be a "Discography" section that describes each disc. WARNNG: I looked at this list after drafting it and realize it’s a little top-heavy with Charlie Haden:

1. Solo piano/piano with one other instrument: Fred Hersch (he also has trio recordings), but look for his solo recordings (e.g., "Solo" from 2020); Marcus Roberts (e.g., "Alone with Three Giants"); Keith Jarrett (many, but try "Last Dance" with bassist Charlie Haden); Hank Jones (his solo recordings and especially is albums with bassist Charlie Haden, "Steal Away" and "Come Sunday"; Bill Evans ("Alone" or his other solo works); Scott Joplin’s music played on solo piano (e.g., Marvin Hamlisch’s playing for "The Sting"; Thelonious Monk "Solo Monk."

2. Solos or two instruments or trios: The bassist Charlie Haden had several -- in addition to the ones I mentioned above, try "Beyond the Missouri Sky" with guitarist Pat Metheny and "Charlie Haden/Jim Hall."; Bill Evans’ "Live at Village Vanguard".

3. New Orleans, i.e., Dixieland music: Evan Christopher’s "Clarinet Road" (there are 3 volumes) and "Delta Bound";

4. Quartets and larger: "Silence" by Charlie Haden and Chet Baker; "Kind of Blue" by Miles David (don’t try this one first); Ben Webster ("King of the Tenors"; "Soulville"; "Jazz Round Midnight");

I could go on and on and even find some recs without Charlie Haden (!), but I’ll stop for now and let some more knowledgeable folks take over. And there are some great suggestions, above. Good luck!

Here are a couple that could ease you in, and If you like these you can try some of their other albums that are also largely excellent — Joe Sample “Old Places, Old Faces” is kind of a smooth jazz, and a little more traditional jazz but still approachable and not too hardcore is “Oscar Peterson meets Roy Hargrove and Ralph Moore.”  You might also try Cyrus Chestnut’s self-titled album, which is different still from the other two but very enjoyable as well.  Hope you enjoy!  

@fthompson251

Your query is one of the things I appreciate about the A’gon discussion board. Thanks for asking!

Try Ray Charles. Genius + Soul = Jazz. Ray Charles' sound is readily accessible.

Try Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. Stellar musicianship and a great recording.

If you like blues-influenced vocals, try Billie Holiday.

If you like melodies, try Joe Pass.

 

Joni Mitchell is a good call.  I really like her jazz infused albums.

Try Eddie Higgins . He is easy to listen.He has Christmas album.

@fthompson251

If you look up Mose Allison on the All Music Guide site or Spotify, you will find suggestions for similar artists. You might find this feature helpful!

Another jazzy Blues album -- "Jazz Blues Fusion" by John Mayall.

Another suggestion for 70’s Latin Jazz would be the first version of Chick Corea’s Return to Forever that recorded "Return to Forever" and "Light as Feather".

OK, I will shut up now! 

 

Joni Mitchell?

 

Thanks I am making a list to try. I do like Mose Allison, have a lot of his stuff. 

Bob Brookmeyer and Stan Getz. I’m not a big jazz fan either but I really like these two. If you have Tidal or Qobuz you can use the related artist feature to explore others as well.

@fthompson251

To enjoy Jazz, you need to understand at least two things: 1) Jazz improvisation is a language and 2) there is a general pattern or structure to Jazz performances.

As with any language, it’s best to start out simply, so that you develop an ear for the "alphabet" and the "grammar". You wouldn’t start learning Russian by jumping into a Tolstoy novel! You’d start with single words, then simple phrases, then sentences, then simple conversation, etc.

As far as the structure goes, whether playing a "tin pan alley" standard by someone like Cole Porter or George Gershwin, or a tune written by a Jazz player such as Duke Ellington or Thelonious Monk, what generally occurs is: a main melody or theme is stated at the beginning, then players take turns improvising on that theme, then the main theme is repeated.

You’ve heard this approach in Rock. Take a song like "Jessica" by the Allman Brothers. There is a main theme or melody that is introduced at the beginning and played several times. Then soloists (D. Betts, Les Dudek, Chuck Leavell) take turns improvising on the main theme. Then the main theme gets repeated to close it out.

Jazz is similar, it’s just that the music tends to be considerably more complex and those players who are not soloing tend to be more interactive with the soloist as opposed to Rock, Pop, Country, R&B, Blues, where they stick to prescribed backing parts that tend to remain the same throughout the tune. Note that there are genres/recordings where all the players are improvising at once (typically referred to as collective improvisation) but most Jazz follows the template I’ve described.

To comprehend improvisation on a theme, you need to know the theme, so it’s "playing in your head" while you’re listening to the improvisation. This helps you "make sense" of the improvisation and grasp how the soloist is using the main melody as a basis for creating new melodies, both adhering to and diverging from the main melody. If you cannot hear the main theme/melody, then improvisation may simply sound like a collection of random notes to you!

Naturally, the simpler the theme, the easier it will be to keep track of it.

Having said all of the above, there is no universal law that states that you must like Jazz! Not every genre is for everyone.

I know nothing about smooth Jazz nor do I stream so I can’t be much help with recommendations.

I can suggest listening to music that while not being Jazz, is "jazzy"

"Stardust" by Willie Nelson

"Breezin’" by George Benson

Try Classic Jazz, such as Louis Armstrong

Try jazzy Blues, like "The Real Thing" by Taj Mahal or "One More Mile" or "Alright Again" by Gatemouth Brown. Try vocalist Mose Allison

Try Louis Jordan’s jazzy R&B or Country Swing, such as Asleep At the Wheel.

Jazz had an enormous influence on popular music during the 70’s. Check out vocalists Michael Franks and Al Jarreau. Joni Mitchell released a series of albums very much influenced by Jazz, some even utilizing Jazz heavyweights such as Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. "Court and Spark" is probably the most accessible. This was the era of Jazz Fusion such as Weather Report, HeadHunters, Return to Forever and Mahavishnu Orchestra as well as "jazzy" bands with more of an R&B flavor such as Stuff, LA Express, Earth Wind and Fire, and the Crusaders, to name a few. Jeff Beck released a series of jazzy albums with "Blow by Blow" being the most celebrated. The CTI label was very popular, generally offering a smoother, more accessible take on Jazz.. There were popular jazzy Latin artists such as Flora Purim and Caldera. There arose a sort of "world music" approach, characterized by bands such as Oregon and Shakti.

The ECM label emerged at this point, featuring artists such as Keith Jarrett, Ralph Towner, Gary Burton, Jan Garbarek and Pat Metheny. It was a cooler, more European esthetic with great sound quality. Some of this music is quite accessible and melodic while some is more abstract. Try "Crystal Silence" by Chick Corea and Gary Burton, "Bright Size Life" by Pat Metheny or "Belonging" by Keith Jarrett.

There is also "bluesy Jazz", such as Stanley Turrentine. Try "the Spoiler" or "Midnight Blue" by Kenny Burrell or "Back at the Chicken Shack" by Jimmy Smith. There is a lot to enjoy in this genre! Mingus could be very Bluesy. try "Blues and Roots".

I apologize for my steam of consciousness, random listing. Pick up something like the All Music Guide to Jazz for a more organized and complete introduction to Jazz and all its sub-genres. Jazz is an enormous genre -- a vivid spectrum incorporating a very wide range of stylistic "colors". Perhaps you simply haven’t been exposed to those parts of the spectrum that appeal to you. Spotify is one way to explore many Jazz/jazzy artists and discover what you might like.

I hope this has been at least somewhat helpful.

 

 

Have you thought about ´´ Brasilian Jazz ´´  ?

It might help to know some of your favorite genres, and artists within those genres, you currently listen to.

For example: a friend of mine, who is a hard rock/metal fan, wanted to explore some jazz, and wanted some recommendations.

So, since he was already used to the intensity and heaviness of those genres, I recommended things like: Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, Brand X, Al Di Meola, Panzerballett, since their brand of jazz is also very intense and fiery.

But if someone was into classical music, I might recommend something in the chamber-jazz subgenre. Like: Oregon, Jan Garberak, Eberhard Weber, Ralph Towner,  Azimuth, Craig Taborn.