Jazz Recommendations.

I would choose something from Miles Davis to start them off. If they come from an easy listening type of background, I might have them start with Kind of Blue. You can't miss there. If they come from a rock and roll kind of background, I might start them off with Miles Davis live at the Fillmore, March 7, 1970. This rocks, for sure. Another choice might be Bill Evans, Portrait in Jazz, or perhaps something from John Coltrane, Blue Train.

The more I think about it, turning on someone to jazz is more of a personal choice on the listener's part. It's like forcing someone to quit smoking, or going on a diet. Expanding your mind to something new is hard to do when you don't want to do it.

To turn someone on to jazz by getting them to start listening to jazz stations, reading books on jazz, cruising music stores to find jazz seems more work than most listeners want to do. Especially listeners that aren't into jazz in the first place. I got into jazz by getting into jazz. No one force fed it to me and I didn't find myself searching for musical truths. One day I picked up Kind of Blue because I heard so much about it and that was it. The flood gates were opened.

I am still trying to get into rap. Now, for me, that's a flood gate that's jammed and hard to push.