Editor suggests where a new listener can begin with jazz

A Gen Z reader asked which jazz musicians and recordings are good entry points, and David Renard, an editor on The New York Times Culture desk who edits the “5 Minutes That Will Make You Love” series, offered guidance for newcomers. Renard advised starting with the canon. He pointed to Miles Davis’s wide-ranging catalog — notably Kind of Blue — and also mentioned John Coltrane’s Blue Train.

He cited other Davis milestones such as Birth of the Cool and Bitches Brew and recalled his own early purchase of ’Round About Midnight. Renard suggested the soundtrack to Ken Burns’s documentary as, in his words, "seems like as good a place as any" to encounter figures like Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Coltrane and Charlie Parker, and noted Ben Ratliff’s 2002 book and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s list (leading with the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out) as further reference points.

He also recommended the Times’ “5 Minutes” archive for curated playlists. He urged listeners to “follow the players”: personnel on albums can point to other artists. Examples he gave include Don Cherry on Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come and Cherry’s own Brown Rice, and the pianist Mal Waldron, who accompanied Charles Mingus and Billie Holiday.

Renard said musician credits can be hard to find on streaming services and mentioned Discogs and the catalogs of labels like Blue Note and Impulse as resources. Renard emphasized that jazz remains active and varied.

Key Topics

Culture, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ken Burns Jazz, Blue Note, Discogs