Pleasant Jazz Playlist

Periodically over the years, people have asked me to recommend jazz tunes, albums and musicians they might enjoy. If they’re already familiar with jazz, it’s an easy matter to share a couple of ideas with them.

However, if they’re new to the music, I get bogged down with indecision, stymied by all the possibilities of what I might share. If I get it wrong, if the music is too dissonant, jangly or inscrutable, it may confirm their suspicions that jazz is something to be admired, not enjoyed, and shut down any further interest.

Also, if a person says they like “jazz,” they might mean something they heard on the radio or streaming service, which usually means “smooth jazz,” “easy listening,” or “adult contemporary” music, not traditional or modern jazz. These marketing genres mean different things to different people, but more often than not, they mean anodyne instrumental music — “wallpaper music” — that is designed to create a nice ambiance without calling attention to itself. A lot of fine musicians play this music, but none that I care to recommend, since I find most of it too dystopian.

It would be easy to recommend Miles Davis’s iconic 1959 album “Kind of Blue” since it’s a masterpiece that both jazz connoisseurs and neophytes can enjoy. You get not just Miles, but a Mt. Rushmore of jazz greats - saxophonists John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley; pianists Wynton Kelly and Bill Evans; bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb. If I were going to be stranded for the rest of my life on a dark planet in a distant galaxy and had less than the blink of an eye to grab one album, this would be it.

However, suggesting it feels like a copout. Most people, whether they know it or not, have heard many of the tunes at Starbucks or their dentist’s office, and there’s a world of jazz out there, spanning more than a century, to explore. With just a little time, I should be able to put together some additional ideas . . . . There the trail ends, in the mythical land of Best Intentions and Some Day.

Until today.

I’ve finally put together a playlist of what I’m calling “Pleasant Jazz.” Each of the tunes is far from the focus-group-driven, slick, overproduced corporate fare passed off as “jazz.” Yet, the tunes can, if needed, waft happily in the background during a dinner party or drinks with friends. Later, if you like, you can turn up the volume and pay closer attention to all the activity and marvels happening beneath the surface.

I’ll likely share other types of playlists, since it pained me to winnow many favorites off the list to keep it more friendly. My hope is that you’ll click through the songs you like to the artists’ albums and explore further from there. Enjoy!