I agree. It’s like kale.
Well expressed.
For me it comes down to an innate natural curiosity regarding music, the willingness to invest time and resources knowing that there will be some magnificent finds as well as those that may miss the mark.
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I love a good story, yet lyrics dictate the story leaving little room for personal interpretation.
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That’s a very apt and uncommon observation.
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Oh, great. I’m trying to introduce her to golf, too. 
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Oh boy. Good luck.
Baby steps, man. Baby steps…
I read through most of the replies, and agree with most, so here’s what I might add. I have been a jazz fanatic since I can remember - my parents came from the era of the Big Bands (my grandfather LED a big band), then my dad got into the jazz of the 1950s. I took that and ran with it - on any day, I might be playing a 78 rpm record of a Benny Goodman quartet followed by something by Albert Ayler on Qobuz. All my life I’ve wondered what it is about jazz that makes me, a very white American who can’t dance, love jazz so much. So here are a few thoughts that might help in sharing it with others:
- Jazz has a culture - yes, it was born in African-American culture, but it represents a common feature found in any culture. I think that might be the idea of freedom to explore personal creativity, but SHARING it with others
- Jazz has Swing - and swing is not a style, but a “feel”. Many describe it as being propelled forward, yet laid-back at the same time. This requires several things - rhythmic focus, but not overly-complex, the right amount of variety, the right notes and harmonies to create this overall effect. The French jazz critic Andre Hodeir back in the 1930s likened it to watching a good black basketball player - fast, but cool
- Improvisation - the ability to create all this on the fly. The best solos “tell a story” by building to a climax, then settling back
- Interaction - how the musicians listen to and inspire each other - both in written parts and improvised sections - to achieve this swing effect
• Sound color - how musicians uniquely manipulate the sound of their instrument to achieve all this
It really is all about swing - Louis Armstrong said if you don’t feel it, you can’t know it, so maybe it has to be introduced early in a person’s life. But when I play jazz recordings for people, above are the things I try to get them to hear, and feel.
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IOW, the preponderance of American audiophiles. 
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At least for me, all of the parts that you mentioned should lead to the sum total of all of those parts equaling: Fun.
Jazz should be fun.
Up to the listener to decide what is fun for them.
A part of the fun, as with all music, is figuring that out.
So have fun!
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Absolutely? And we certainly shouldn’t make it an American phenomenon - there are many international audiophiles who can’t dance. Reminds me of the joke: How are a white guy and a Baby Ruth candy bar similar? They both look like sh*t on the dance floor.
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I guess it depends on your definition of “fun” - jazz can certainly evoke sadness and pain. But I get what you’re saying. Maybe a better term would be “present”, meaning that the emotions are direct and real, in your face, simple. You can certainly analyze it, but it’s not necessary. For me, I studied and played classical music, and jazz - especially the improvised part - seems to remove a layer from between the musician and the audience.
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I am all for “present” and accounted for.
I would be one of those doubly blessed. Can’t dance. Can’t sing.
Having said that, “nobody puts baby in the corner!”
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I just looked at the credits, and there’s only one bass.
Introduce them to this jazz piece, if they don’t like it, stop wasting your time.
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Cynical but simply true in my opinion.