"Introduction to Jazz" compilation I made for a friend

[John L]

I think that if the goal is to attract listeners who are used to pop and whatnot, going with primarily swing and bop and hard bop is a dubious strategy. You have to assess your audience and figure out what their frame of reference is.

The flaw in your reasoning is that you're assuming that the way to get people listening to new stuff is to gradually nudge them in a kind of linear way from what they now like to something not too different, then from there to something a little further over, etc. But I think people often do the opposite, they have some kind of revelation when hearing something entirely different. Maybe the more different it is, the more likely it is to make an impression. Hit or miss, obviously, but so is the gradualist approach, which is "give them some jazz that won't scare them off." My approach now--I stopped evangelizing long ago, but sometimes people ask--is to give them a variety of styles, from most traditional to way outside, figuring that will cover all bases. But always things I really love myself.

Excellent point. For that reason, the ideal compilation should probably include a combination of "nudging" pieces that maximize the probability of being understood right away and challenging pieces that can potentially alarm and excite.

[montg]

Have you no swing or first generation bop, or do you not think that this is appropriate for your friend based on his experience in the genre?

This varies from listener to listener, but I've noticed that the poorer sound quality of this music can be a bit off-putting to newcomers. With this in mind, I always keep it strictly mid 1950's and later on the compilations I make for newbs.

Your point about sound quality is well taken. But there's plenty of swing-based stuff from the 50s that sounds great. One of my first jazz CDs was a Count Basie Verve compilation. When I started listening I couldn't believe how purely fun the music was. A cut or two from an early 50s Billie Holiday session would intrigue just about any new listener I'd guess.

Interesting comparing the two different theories--would new listeners be more attracted to something qualitiatively/radically different from what they're used to or is the 'nudging' strategy the better route. For me (about 11 years ago), I guess it was more of the former, a Road to Emmaus experience, with the Basieite swing just seeming, ironically, so new and pure.

I'd guess that, for newbies, a crazy-sounding Bix cut would win more converts in the end than a Diana Krall-type of CD.