Essential Jazz Starting Point is not a greatest-hits list. It’s a map. This playlist is designed to orient your ear to the core languages of jazz—the ones everything else grows out of. Bebop, modal jazz, ballads, big band power, soul, and sheer technical fire all live here, not as categories to memorize, but as sounds to absorb. You’ll hear how Charlie Parker built vocabulary at full speed, how Miles Davis created space with restraint, how Bill Evans and Coltrane taught touch and emotional clarity, and how giants like Buddy Rich and Mingus turned ensembles into forces of nature. Some tracks will feel welcoming. Others will feel intimidating on purpose. Both reactions are part of the work. This playlist works best when you listen actively: Notice phrasing, not just notes Feel time, not just tempo Let the hard pieces challenge you and the ballads slow you down Whether you’re a new listener, a returning musician, or someone recalibrating their ear, this is meant to help you understand why jazz sounds the way it does—and why it still matters. Start here. Come back often. Let your ear do the learning.