Early Jazz Influences

This week I was asked an interesting question. A friend of mine had attended our university's jazz big band concert which I was playing in. She had never actually been to a live jazz performance, or let alone had much exposure to the genre. After the concert she told me she wanted to explore jazz and asked me, "where do I start?"

The question made me look back and try to remember what jazz I had listened to when I first took interest in the genre. 

Some of my early experience with jazz was due to my Grandpa - for a couple consecutive Christmases he gave me famous jazz recordings: Benny Goodman, Dave Brubeck's Take Five, etc. Brubeck proved especially formative for me; listening to "Blue Rondo a la Turk" and "Strange Meadowlark" was great ear-training for a 12-year-old. 

During that middle school age I continued to explore jazz. One of the albums I listened to the most was Harry Connick, Jr.'s Blue Light, Red Light. That record offered a particularly rhythmic New Orleans sound - a good counterbalance to Brubeck and the other things I had been exposed to. I think what I enjoyed so much about Harry Connick, Jr.'s music was the lively, stomping feel it had to it. It sounded fun. That type of music inspired the 12-year-old me to keep pursuing jazz because it showed me the enjoyment that I could find in it.

As I studied jazz piano more seriously in high school I was exposed to other names, artists that only jazz lovers listen to: McCoy Tyner, Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, etc. I continue to explore their discographies and I still love coming across other artists and hearing new sounds.

So what was my recommendation to my friend? Where should she start her exploration into jazz? I simply told her to start where I started - to check out Dave Brubeck and Harry Connick, Jr. Hopefully she'll hear the fun that I heard, and that the music will spark an appreciation for jazz in her like it did in me.