The first jazz record I distinctly remember was "Jazz of Two Decades". Although it was a compilation, the cut that stuck in my mind was "East of Suez". At that time, who was playing what was irrelevant. I guess I was in 10th grade then, and I wanted to travel to far away places with strange sounding names. "East of Suez" sounded like some place I might want to go, it sounded exotic and I liked the music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnrYk1pq12IAlthough I'm recounting this record from memory, I didn't remember all the cuts, but thanks to "google", we can all share them together.
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Jazz-Of-Two-Decades/release/1474375After examining this record, "Jazz of the 50's" came back to me; those cuts have remained favorites of mine down through the years, that's also why I found it remarkable that the cut from the 40's stayed with me all these years.
Enjoy the music.