You don't have to understand what jazz musicians are doing to enjoy listening.
I don't know very much at all about how my car works- it's an amazingly complex machine. Still, I enjoy driving it around, and it helps me get places I need to go. I'd be open to learning more about how it works, but even though I don't know what's under the hood it still is something I enjoy using.
The same logic applies to jazz listening. Some of the first jazz I listened to when I was 15 or so was "Giant Steps" by John Coltrane, mainly because it was what I found first at the library. If you're not familiar with the recording, it's the pinnacle of fast moving key changes that requires the improvising musician to have an inside-out knowledge of their instrument and the music. Over 50 years later it's now still used as a test for new musician's ability, and it's very challenging to play. Check out this Youtube sheet music animation of it.
I had absolutely no idea what was going on behind the scenes, no idea of the form, changes, substitutions, cycles, digital patterns, rhythm section interaction or style. Still, I enjoyed listening to it because of the powerful sound of Coltrane's improvisations. Maybe the face melting intensity resonated with my angsty teenage sentiments. Either way, I'd listen to it over and over without the foggiest idea about the intellectual stuff because I enjoyed the sound of it.
It seems to me that somewhere down the line the idea came about that to enjoy art music you need to understand it first intellectually. Then, after this proper debriefing, you're ready to listen and enjoy the music (or your "musical vegetables"). That's flat out backwards. First comes listening to the music, and if you like what you hear you'll naturally dig deeper into the stuff "under the hood."
Not being familiar with the "under the hood" workings of a jazz performance or recording doesn't make you dumb, uneducated or ignorant either. Jazz is a very complex, intellectual, and challenging music. In an environment like this people (musicians especially) tend to feel fearful of looking uninformed, which can lead to an atmosphere of exclusivity and scrutiny. As a new explorer of jazz music, don't be intimidated by this nonsense- remember that by taking the time to go out and listen to jazz artists is doing them a huge service (i.e. paying their bills). Also, if you do have any questions about what's going on just ask! Musicians love to talk about what they're playing, so don't be shy if you have questions.
It all comes back to remembering that you don't have to understand the music intellectually to enjoy listening to it.
As guitarists we come from all over the musical spectrum. Maybe you were first into punk rock, or acoustic singer/songwriter stuff, or maybe you started playing Hendrix licks and Zeppelin riffs like me. Wherever you're coming from, the world of jazz is rich with a ton of great music. So if you're a new jazz convert yourself or if you're in the process of bringing someone else into the fold, in a future post I'll be coming up with some listening activities as a starting point for exploring jazz.
