I can’t get into “real” jazz, just give me some Najee, Brian Culbertson, and Gerald Albright 

It depends what kind of music you like and want to make. I'm also not into "real" jazz like that. I fukk with disco/jazz from like 77-81. In that realm there's nothing that crazyI remember getting into Jazz when I became interested in learning music theory to help me make music, since Jazz is so foundation to popular music.
And I went straight to the typical names, like Miles Davis and was like...
This shyt ain't music that is meant to be simply listened to and enjoyed.
Because it's really not IMO.
Jazz to me is like Art House films, beyond the Kenny G, Lounge music, Elevator music, Coffee shop music type shyt, Jazz is just Black American Classical music.
Some of it back in the day was pop music like Swing but once you get further into Bebop, the virtuoso shyt, the shyt has been characterized as just noise back then, that's when you hit theIMO
When you grow up with popular music and you are used to a 16 bar verse and a 8 bar chorus...and these dudes making some progressive shyt that just sound like noise, gotta train the ears to enjoy that shyt.
I guess I'll provide a companion guide and find like a listener's jazz theory book.![]()
It depends what kind of music you like and want to make. I'm also not into "real" jazz like that. I fukk with disco/jazz from like 77-81. In that realm there's nothing that crazy
But there's still plenty to learn and a lot of intricacy
My favorite band right now is Steely Dan.... Fagan's piano work is![]()
But he applies it to music with conventional time signatures that is fun to play and listen to. It's a sliding scale... you can find music that is more intricate than pop trash that isn't completely in another dimension
This right here is modern jazz by people who make hip-hop. Its entry-level and easy to get into, I would start with these albumsI know Jazz is king of music. Been checking out Quincy Jones interviews lately. It's weird, I find it hard to get into.
After checking some Quincy first album and Herbie debut. I was like ehh.
Herbie is a gawd composer.His songs become standards which all musicians play. If you wanna understand learn music theory, and pick up a piano & play,watch some youtube vids and read some biographies.
Now playing Kind of Blue, I'm really digging the third track.
That Album changed music. Miles threw out chord changes out in his music and played with 2 chords. it opened up more expression in the music
I plan to check the albums Time Out!, Brilliant corners, the black saint and the sinner lady, the shape of jazz to come and a love supreme.
A couple of these albums listed avant-garde / free and they wanted to achieve the same goal as miles in playing a freer music. In his bio Miles talked
about Coltrane being influenced by the younger guys to play free jazz and hated it
After all this I want to revisit pimp butterfly Kendrick album.
This aint a jazz album but to each its own
I just listen to Jazz to get into all the chords and scales and I like the technicality of Jazz musicians and the breadth of knowledge and musical exploration they did, the same guys that could make some shyt to dance to could make some shyt that was hard to comprehend as music. Like they knew some exotic shyt and applied it in a way tha broke the barriers of what music can do.
Jazz is more accessible to me than classical music. Classical music typically don't have seventh chords and a lot of other things that Jazz musicians use and popular music producers use today. Plus there is a lot of jazz theory books and sheet music, it's just easier for me to learn about music theory that way.
Steely Dan is dope. They are really really good at mixing and mastering. Everything sounds super clear.
I did last night. Blue in Green is my favorite trackStarted to listening to jazz as a kid and it has been a great journey.
Recommendation to start: Miles Davis- Kind of Blue![]()
Like who? Albums?Try bebop. It's really upbeat jazz or old school afrobeat like Fela Kuti.
I did last night. Blue in Green is my favorite track