How to Like Jazz in 10 Easy Steps! by 
JulianR 
Have you ever wanted to get into Jazz, but you just don't know where to start???
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Infomercial jokes aside, this is a chart that condenses a bunch of different styles of jazz into an easily digestible chunk, so that you can find what you like. I will qualify that with the statement that this chart focuses on what is often considered the artistic heyday of jazz, from the late 50's to early 70's. It also happens to be the era of jazz that I know best. I have tried to cover a lot of different subgenres here, and others have been inevitably left out, but hopefully it is diverse enough to give you a full picture of what Jazz is.
I often find when approaching a totally new genre, I have to just listen to stuff until I find that one album that clicks. When I first got in to jazz, that album was Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew". With Hip-hop, it was Kendrick Lamar's "Good Kid MAAD City". It's different for everybody, though. Because of this, I tried to include many different styles, and some places you can go from there if you liked a certain album. I would recommend listening to the chart from top to bottom though, just to get a feel for a couple different styles, and then going back and checking out the other recommendations based on what you liked. The order isn't really a science, but I did try to make it so that you can kinda progress to more challenging things from the beginning. I would really urge someone to not get discouraged even if they don't find something they like in even the first 9 of 10; Jazz is well worth the effort to get into it! Who knows what that album that finally clicks will be, it could just as easily be the 10th as any of the first 9.
I've made this chart assuming that you're coming from a background in rock, as most people on this site seem to be. I'm not sure that it would be much different for someone with a background primarily in hip-hop or something else. If it's hip-hop, I guess just listen to the Low End Theory and Untitled Unmastered first.
If youre a jazz-head, suggestions are quite encouraged! Tell me what I'm missing. My jazz knowledge isn't tiny, but it is still limited.
Have Fun!
-Julian
- Chart updated: 09/26/2018 19:15
- (Created: 02/22/2018 03:12).
- Chart size: 11 albums.
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Modern Jazz
Kamasi is one of the few jazz artists today that I have found making exceptional jazz. This one is a really nice and accessible, and has a very modern production feel to it, without feeling too slick or unnatural in any way. I think it would be an excellent spot to start for those looking to get in to jazz. [First added to this chart: 03/21/2018]
Kamasi is one of the few jazz artists today that I have found making exceptional jazz. This one is a really nice and accessible, and has a very modern production feel to it, without feeling too slick or unnatural in any way. I think it would be an excellent spot to start for those looking to get in to jazz. [First added to this chart: 03/21/2018]
Year of Release:
2017
Appears in:
Rank Score:
489
Rank in 2017:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
7
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Cool Jazz
Maybe Kamasi wasn't your thing? Don't lose hope, and remember that all of these albums will also improve for you the more you listen. Next up, we have Dave Brubeck. This is a very famous and fairly accessible jazz album by one of the great jazz composers. It is full of catchy melodies and grooves, despite the fact that none of the songs are in 4/4!
Further Listening:
Dave Brubeck - Time Further Out. Another great jazz album in the vein of Time Out
Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - self-titled. Another nice piano + sax album with pleasant melodies [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
Maybe Kamasi wasn't your thing? Don't lose hope, and remember that all of these albums will also improve for you the more you listen. Next up, we have Dave Brubeck. This is a very famous and fairly accessible jazz album by one of the great jazz composers. It is full of catchy melodies and grooves, despite the fact that none of the songs are in 4/4!
Further Listening:
Dave Brubeck - Time Further Out. Another great jazz album in the vein of Time Out
Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - self-titled. Another nice piano + sax album with pleasant melodies [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,610
Rank in 1959:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Jazz Fusion (Jazz-Rock)
So Brubeck didn't do it for ya? Never fear; lets try a change of sound. Jazz Fusion is a fusion of jazz and rock, and it can mean a wide variety of things. In this case, it is definitely jazz focused, but it features electric guitar and and keyboards. A lot of jazz is more focused on improvisation and such, and less on textures and things that rock is more concerned with. This has a good mix of both, which is good, but lacks a whole lot of structure. This more long-form style of jazz might be of more interest to those that enjoy post-rock.
Further Listening:
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew. The best jazz album of all time, imo. Its essentially a continuation of what's going on on this album, but all bigger, better, and a little more challenging.
Herbie Hancock - Mwandishi. Another cool fusion record by one of my fav jazz artists. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
So Brubeck didn't do it for ya? Never fear; lets try a change of sound. Jazz Fusion is a fusion of jazz and rock, and it can mean a wide variety of things. In this case, it is definitely jazz focused, but it features electric guitar and and keyboards. A lot of jazz is more focused on improvisation and such, and less on textures and things that rock is more concerned with. This has a good mix of both, which is good, but lacks a whole lot of structure. This more long-form style of jazz might be of more interest to those that enjoy post-rock.
Further Listening:
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew. The best jazz album of all time, imo. Its essentially a continuation of what's going on on this album, but all bigger, better, and a little more challenging.
Herbie Hancock - Mwandishi. Another cool fusion record by one of my fav jazz artists. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,927
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Modal Jazz / Cool Jazz
Another Miles Album. That's because he's kind of the king of jazz, in the way that the Beatles are considered by basically all the mainstream outlets to be the "kings" of rock. And this album, by "the" jazz artist, is basically "the" jazz album. It is the top jazz album on this site and often cited as the best, or at least one of the best, by institutions like Rolling Stone and such. I personally don't think it is quite that great, but it is good. It is very mellow, and feels so natural and smooth. Probably more similar to Time Out than In A Silent Way in feel, but it is definitely a little less rigid than Time Out is.
Further Listening:
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
Another Miles Album. That's because he's kind of the king of jazz, in the way that the Beatles are considered by basically all the mainstream outlets to be the "kings" of rock. And this album, by "the" jazz artist, is basically "the" jazz album. It is the top jazz album on this site and often cited as the best, or at least one of the best, by institutions like Rolling Stone and such. I personally don't think it is quite that great, but it is good. It is very mellow, and feels so natural and smooth. Probably more similar to Time Out than In A Silent Way in feel, but it is definitely a little less rigid than Time Out is.
Further Listening:
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,032
Rank in 1959:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Bebop
A classic bebop album by two of the greats, to give you a taste of what 50's jazz is like. This is what essentially all the rest of these albums was coming from. If you want to go even further back, into the swing era, try Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.
Further Listening:
Clifford Brown - A Study in Brown. A great album by a great innovator, who died tragically young. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
A classic bebop album by two of the greats, to give you a taste of what 50's jazz is like. This is what essentially all the rest of these albums was coming from. If you want to go even further back, into the swing era, try Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.
Further Listening:
Clifford Brown - A Study in Brown. A great album by a great innovator, who died tragically young. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
Year of Release:
1952
Appears in:
Rank Score:
838
Rank in 1952:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Jazz-Funk / Jazz-Fusion
Herbie Hancock was one of the pianists on Miles Davis' best fusion records, and made some similarly great, but much less widely appreciated fusion himself. However, he later took the fusion genre in a new direction, with this album that incorporates funk into jazz. I personally like his earlier fusion records more, but this one is pretty great too, and many think it's his best. If you haven'f found a sound that you like yet, this could be it.
Further Listening:
Miles Davis - On the Corner. The guy seriously did everything.
Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay. A great record that maybe deserves a spot on here if there was room. Its a little less funky, but is wonderful all the same. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
Herbie Hancock was one of the pianists on Miles Davis' best fusion records, and made some similarly great, but much less widely appreciated fusion himself. However, he later took the fusion genre in a new direction, with this album that incorporates funk into jazz. I personally like his earlier fusion records more, but this one is pretty great too, and many think it's his best. If you haven'f found a sound that you like yet, this could be it.
Further Listening:
Miles Davis - On the Corner. The guy seriously did everything.
Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay. A great record that maybe deserves a spot on here if there was room. Its a little less funky, but is wonderful all the same. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,660
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Hard-Bop
A great album from one of the jazz greats. This is one of Coltranes earlier works, and is a lot more accessible than his later stuff.
Further Listening:
John Coltrane - Giant Steps
Lester Young - Jazz Giants '56
Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off [First added to this chart: 02/22/2018]
A great album from one of the jazz greats. This is one of Coltranes earlier works, and is a lot more accessible than his later stuff.
Further Listening:
John Coltrane - Giant Steps
Lester Young - Jazz Giants '56
Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off [First added to this chart: 02/22/2018]
Year of Release:
1957
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,990
Rank in 1957:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Third Stream / Avant-Garde Big-Band
An amazingly unique jazz record. Third Stream is a kind of music that is essentially halfway between jazz and classical, this album being probably the most famous example. Although lots of jazz focuses on improvisation, this one feels heavily orchestrated. And that's not really a bad thing; its one of the most astounding compositions put to record. It also really just means that the improvisation that does happen on this record is so good that it sounds composed.
Further Listening:
Charles Mingus - Ah Um. Widely considered to be his other masterpiece, though it is more hard/post-bop oriented. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
An amazingly unique jazz record. Third Stream is a kind of music that is essentially halfway between jazz and classical, this album being probably the most famous example. Although lots of jazz focuses on improvisation, this one feels heavily orchestrated. And that's not really a bad thing; its one of the most astounding compositions put to record. It also really just means that the improvisation that does happen on this record is so good that it sounds composed.
Further Listening:
Charles Mingus - Ah Um. Widely considered to be his other masterpiece, though it is more hard/post-bop oriented. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,033
Rank in 1963:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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(Moderately) Free Jazz / Spiritual Jazz / Modal Jazz
This is often the album, other than Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, that is cited as the best jazz album ever. It is one of those album that I have seen at the top of too many charts to ignore. It took a long time for me to appreciate it, but it was worth it. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
This is often the album, other than Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, that is cited as the best jazz album ever. It is one of those album that I have seen at the top of too many charts to ignore. It took a long time for me to appreciate it, but it was worth it. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,084
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Spiritual Jazz / Vocal Jazz / (some) Free Jazz
This is a really unique and wonderful album. It has some parts that can be tough to get in to, such as Leon Thomas' half yodeling, half singing style. There is also one part on the back half that kinda devolved into chaos, but its pretty short. The sound overall is really interesting, in that it has Indian influences and a really full sound that makes it really different from a lot of other jazz. It seems to be similar to some jazz-fusion in that it has a stronger focus on texture and timbre than most other jazz. It's really fun, and probably my second favorite of all time.
Further Listening:
Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda. A beautiful album, with a similar instrumental feel to this one, by John Coltrane's wife, a heavily underrated jazz artist.
Pharaoh Sanders - Black Unity. Another great Pharaoh album (and my favorite jazz album of all time), sans singing [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
This is a really unique and wonderful album. It has some parts that can be tough to get in to, such as Leon Thomas' half yodeling, half singing style. There is also one part on the back half that kinda devolved into chaos, but its pretty short. The sound overall is really interesting, in that it has Indian influences and a really full sound that makes it really different from a lot of other jazz. It seems to be similar to some jazz-fusion in that it has a stronger focus on texture and timbre than most other jazz. It's really fun, and probably my second favorite of all time.
Further Listening:
Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda. A beautiful album, with a similar instrumental feel to this one, by John Coltrane's wife, a heavily underrated jazz artist.
Pharaoh Sanders - Black Unity. Another great Pharaoh album (and my favorite jazz album of all time), sans singing [First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,674
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 11. Page 1 of 2
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How to Like Jazz in 10 Easy Steps! composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 4 | 36% | |
| 1960s | 5 | 45% | |
| 1970s | 1 | 9% | |
| 1980s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1990s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2000s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2010s | 1 | 9% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| John Coltrane | 3 | 27% | |
| Miles Davis | 2 | 18% | |
| The Dave Brubeck Quartet | 1 | 9% | |
| Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie | 1 | 9% | |
| Herbie Hancock | 1 | 9% | |
| Charles Mingus | 1 | 9% | |
| Pharoah Sanders | 1 | 9% | |
| Show all | |||
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From ddeeddles64 04/15/2018 06:08
ddeeddles64 04/15/2018 06:08
I loved this chart for its intention, the fact that you worked hard to keep it short, the helpful comments and the great selections. For me it was late '50s Coltrane that 'clicked' - I'd been expecting something intellectual and daunting, but what I heard was so open, fluent and powerful. Great stuff!
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