A trained Opera vocalist? I’d try starting with some vocal jazz: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, etc. They may improvise some scat singing to relate melodies to vocals without words. This could work as a nice intro to jazz. See how she responds to the classics, then maybe move on to more contemporary jazz artists: Diana Krall, Melody Gardot, etc. Watch her reactions and ask her about it. Diana’s a pianist and has some instrumental recordings in her albums.
If all you have is instrumental jazz, maybe this would be a fun aspect of jazz to explore together.
Explain jazz you ask. A difficult task. Many art forms, music included are not well described in words. As an art form there is a personal element to appreciating it from both the artist’s and listener’s perspective. There are no right answers, other than to be open to something different. For the uninitiated being open minded and and open to experiencing it is the most meaningful approach. Each individual dedicated to the art form tends to provide an experiential definition of the term that may or may not cover the category. My greatest pleasure when listening to music is discovering something new and innovative.
In my experience sharing my pleasure with others of this art form is situational at best. Engaging in conversation and understanding their musical interests can offer a key to a meaningful recommendation. I also happen to find music to be some what generational, with many locking in their preferences in their formative years. In the case of younger budding aficionados I consider their current listening patterns and attempt to make a recommendation that reflects those listening tendencies. No one album stands out as a safe recommendation.
When I was spending more time in Madison, the opportunity to meet and engage in conversation with budding jazz listeners was not uncommon. For example at times at a local record store a browser would ask for suggestions. We would discuss musical likes, how hey experience music, live versus recordings, etc. and go from there. Typically the conversation resulted in them selecting several LPs, an me selecting and purchasing one fro me as a gift. I was doing this on a weekly basis for some time. If they were into live performances they were provided with my business card as a free pass for two at any sponsored performance of their choosing. I enjoy doing this immensely. Can’t say I ever purchased KOB for anyone, but I did provide jaimie breezy branchFly or Die II Bird Dogs of Paradise. The album leans towards a younger crowd, which is an audience I carry about to carry the music form forward.
A fine festival indeed that has evoled shall we say. One I wish I had attended.
The Trondheim, Wels, and Cafe Oto events are all worthy as well. North Sea is the biggie. In the States it is New Orlean Jazz & Heritage Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Big Ears, and Vision Fest come to mind. Two midwest fests that are no more were Okka Fest and Umbrella Fest. Chicago’s Pitchfork offers a variety of music styles and leans heavily into jazz. Growing stronger each year in Chicago is the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on the University of Chicago campus.
Lots of reasonable advice presented so far. I would add that finding steaming channels that either have a diversity of styles or individual channels that are devoted to a particular style would be very beneficial, especially to a younger “music lover”. That way the newbie can get a wide taste of many styles should you not be able to narrow it down for them or a heavy taste of a specific style or two so they can jump all in. Recommending specific CDs may help, but that may scare them off if it’s a bad match.
The other thing to keep in mind is some folks just won’t get jazz or just don’t like it. No amount of prodding will get them in the “like” category. I’m partially in that position. I had very little exposure to jazz as a youngster and have tried to like it ever since becoming an audiophile where it seems to be well regarded. I’ve got over 400 jazz CDs, yet I rarely listen to them. For reasons I can’t explain I just don’t get the attraction. having said that, I should add that my first serious listen to jazz was Kind of Blue and to this day I like that, as well as other early Miles Davis. But yet, I only listen to KOB on occasion and hardly ever the Miles box sets I have. You can’t sway ‘em all over to jazz side …
I think that Jazz is something that has to resonate within a person in order for them to become interested in it. It must grab them on some level; be it emotional, intellectual or harmonically, if you ain’t got it, you ain’t got it.
It requires a certain degree of open mindedness and natural curiosity, otherwise; you’d have a better chance at getting them to try Surströmming ( fermented fish from Sweden).
An example in my case - I became a Chico Hamilton fan when I heard Burt Reynolds character switch on his reel to reel in “Boogie Nights”. I had never heard a cello in a jazz band before and the mournful, soulful melody just grabbed me. Before that, I had never heard of him. You just have to be receptive to things. How do you instill that into individuals?
Streaming certainly is a fine way to gain access to various music forms, including jazz. That said, it seems to me one is less vested in the music via streaming. In that regard I am old school preferring physical media in hand and supporting the musicians with my purchases.
My first forays into jazz was an openness to experiment and that jazz groove/driving bass line. I was hooked.
I am 100% with you on that … for genres you and I already love and support. For the newbie in the current environment streaming is the cheapest and easiest. That’s all I’m saying.
I had a mission in my life: educate my son in general and specifically about human virtues, arts, foods and wines (as for women I count on my wife suggestions, ah ah ah).
The passion for music, oh I got the best results here, couldn’t be happier. Jazz is my last challenge, then I’m done and I can serenely retire!
A man must have higher goals to give a sense to his life, isn’t it? Ok, ok, I’m just justifying to myself the expensive purchases in this hobby, I know!
Jazz Fusion for starts. Really good vibes and love all those changes which is very prevalent in Rock. I know when I started listening to Jean Luc Ponty that really got me into this direction.
Thank you all for your thoughtful suggestions. Last night constituted step one. I played Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald and it was a big hit! That their recordings together are so well recorded and that she already loves both of them helped. Step two TBD, but will be neither Eric Dolphy nor Ornette Coleman. I’m thinking Dexter Gordon or Sonny Rollins.
If Ella and Louis was a big hit I’d like to suggest Sarah Vaughan and Clifford Brown. The recent reissue is the own to get should you not have an LP version.
Music like food (or any number of life experiences) is intensely personal. It is something that can be suggested but not forced upon another. Most if not all all musical idioms are acquired tastes. I would guess that you own musical preferences took a lot of exposure, listening and time to get where they are today.
I don’t think there are any explanations that can be made for why music works, it either moves you or it doesn’t.
