Jazz is probably one of the most daunting genres of music, in addition to being one of the hardest to initially appreciate simply due to the vastness of so many musicians discographies. Here are a few essentials for anybody who wants an easy (and varied) introduction to the many different styles of jazz music.

The Introduction: Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

The jazz album for people who dont like jazz, Kind of Blue is so easy to appreciate that people often disregard just how great a record it is. Taking influence from the modal form of band-leading that was gaining popularity in the late 1950s, Miles Davis assembled a handful of some of the very best jazz musicians (Coltrane, Adderley, Evans) to create a moody masterpiece that remains a fantastic introduction to jazz.

Best Tracks: Blue in Green, So What.

Easy Listening: Idle Moments - Grant Green / Saxophone Colossus - Sonny Rollins

These two records are highly underrated as far as comfy, engaging and relaxing jazz albums go. Though both Green and Rollins were technically proficient masters of their respective instruments, both Idle Moments and Saxophone Colossus allow for the whole band to shine on every track rather than focusing on show-off performances or experimentalism. Simply put, these are two very easily listenable albums, and two of the best of the swing era of jazz.

Best Tracks (Green): Django, Idle Moments

Best Tracks (Rollins): Blue 7, St. Thomas

Getting Experimental: A Love Supreme - John Coltrane/ Karma - Pharaoh Sanders

The spiritual, insane and fiery performances on both of these records are real highlights of jazz music as a whole. A Love Supreme in particular is a record in which every single musician is at the top of their game; the drum fills, piano interludes and lengthy expressive saxophone solos are absolutely mind-blowing every time I listen to it.

Best Tracks: All of it - really.

Karma, on the other hand, manages to showcase Sanders ability to find new voicings on the saxophone, playing in his typically unrestrained and aggressive style for upwards of 30 minutes on the first track. The sheer passion that both Coltrane and Sanders manage to express remains incredible, both of these albums being essential jazz listening.

Best Track: The Creator Has a Master Plan.

Something Fierce: Black Saint and the Sinner Lady - Charles Mingus

An absolutely insane jazz-ballet concept album that provided commentary on spirituality, racism and Mingus own emotional problems, Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is one of the most defining statements in all of jazz music. Though frequently aggressive and furious in its performances, the music has a real sense of tranquillity that makes it an enjoyable but still challenging record that invites repeated listens.

Best Tracks: All of it!

Free Jazz and the Avant-Garde: The Shape of Jazz to Come - Ornette Coleman

Ornette Coleman was at the forefront of the free jazz movement, a style that looked to break free from the traditional western musical scales and play in a more unhinged and free manner. Though the dissonance and atonality of The Shape of Jazz to Come is not always pleasant to listen to, it remains one of the most important jazz albums ever created for its approach to experimentalism and improvisation.

Best Tracks: Lonely Woman, Peace.

Jazz-Fusion: Bitches Brew - Miles Davis / Hot Rats - Frank Zappa

Probably among the most controversial jazz records ever conceived, Bitches Brew is an epic in every sense of the word. Clocking in at nearly two hours long, this album is a complex mess featuring just about every instrument possible, brewed together with the insane ambition of a man who truly wanted to push the boundaries of what defines jazz. Though certainly not easy listening by any means, Bitches Brew is absolutely essential listening to anybody interested in experimental music and jazz in general.

Best Tracks: Miles Runs the Voodoo Down, Spanish Key.

Hot Rats is yet another completely off-the-wall jazz fusion record, with Zappa blending in disparate influences from rock music, do-wop, classical and the avant-garde to create an album that is as impressive as it is completely ridiculous. The guitar solos delivered by Zappa himself are absolutely mind-blowing, as is the unhinged and insane vocal contribution from Captain Beefheart on the second track.

Best Tracks: Peaches En Regalia, Willie the Pimp.

Other Essential Jazz Tracks:Goodbye Pork Pie Hat- Charles Mingus Ruby My Dear- Thelonious Monk Moaning- Art Blakely Autumn Leaves- Cannonball Adderly The Girl from Ipanema- Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto

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A Beginner's Guide to Jazz Music - Redbrick