You love those romantic album titles: Live from the Blue Note; Red Hot & Cool; Meditations. But then, all that jargon puts you off--cool, hot, eclectic, electric, fusion, fission. You'd like to enjoy jazz, but where do you start?

Jazz really isn't that obscure or mysterious. With a few pointers and recommendations, you'll be ready to tap those toes or just lie back and listen.

Start with What You Know 
Jazz draws on so many different kinds of music that there's no problem finding a niche that suits your style. You've no doubt got some musical preferences already, so let's start with those.

Jazz for pop music fans 
If you're a fan of popular music, you probably have a preference for singers, so you might start with jazz vocalists like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Alberta Hunter, Sarah Vaughan, or Nat "King" Cole. You can't beat Fitzgerald and trumpeter Louis Armstrong on The Best of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Using their voices as jazz instruments, the two introduced scat singing.

If you're a Sinatra fan, go with the big bands Frank started out with: Tommy Dorsey and Harry James. Later, Sinatra recorded with the bands of Count Basie and Duke Ellington, so move on to those. Some experts think Ellington peaked in the 1930s and 1940s; The Blanton-Webster Band captures those decades--and introduces many other jazz greats, who can lead you to further discoveries.

Many jazz artists have done takes on the music of the popular American composer and songwriter George Gershwin, who himself rhapsodized in blue. Compare interpretations of Gershwin by Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Art Tatum, the Modern Jazz Quartet, and Sarah Vaughan. Whose do you like? These musicians have interpreted other popular songs as well.

Jazz for classical music enthusiasts 
Since you probably like structure in your music, start with tightly constructed, rhythmically complex jazz. If your taste runs to chamber music, try trumpeter Miles Davis in Kind of Blue. Or try the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) in Dedicated to Connie. Pianist John Lewis, director of the MJQ, calls it the group's best. Lewis also has recorded his own variations on Bach. Another jazz great who incorporates classical techniques is pianist Dave Brubeck on such albums as Time Out.

On Birth of the Cool, Davis introduced "cool jazz," a slower, laid-back form of jazz. At about the same time, saxophonist John Coltrane introduced dense, rapid runs up and down the range of his instrument in the jazz classic Giant Steps. Listen for his inventive use of arpeggios and his penetrating tone.

Classically trained pianist Keith Jarrett is a top jazz pianist today. Hear him improvise solo on The Köln Concert or with his trio on At the Blue Note. Or listen to his Bach. Another musician who mixes classical music with jazz is trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. The Marciac Suite features his septet in performance in France in the late 1990s.

Jazz for rock or R&B fans 
You should try bebop, with its lightning-fast tempos and dazzling improvised solos. Some of the best include saxophonist Charlie Parker, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, and bassist Charles Mingus, together on Jazz at Massey Hall.

Another great bebop artist is pianist Thelonious Monk, who recorded some of his original compositions on Brilliant Corners. Listen for his irregular rhythms and unusual, almost discordant harmonies. Other bebop favorites are saxophonist Dexter Gordon, saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, and drummer Max Roach. Bebop led to cool jazz, so you can easily move on to Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

Fusion jazz is another good bet for rock enthusiasts. Guitarist Pat Metheny fuses rock and Brazilian rhythms with the sounds of country in Still Life (Talking). Miles Davis teamed his trumpet with electric instruments in the fusion album Bitches Brew. Pianist Herbie Hancock is another fusion pioneer. Others who experiment with fusion include keyboard artist Chick Corea and saxophonists David Sanborn and Kenny G.

Build on What You Like
You've found some music you like. What's next?

1. Stay with it. Listen to more albums by artists you like. Who played with them? Try their colleagues, too. Favorite tunes? See who else has recorded them.
2. Browse Web sites and stores. Good clerks at record stores can often make trustworthy recommendations, and many stores have listening stations.
3. Don't forget your local library. Most libraries have CD collections now, enabling you to try a lot of styles and artists for free.
4. Be a borrower. Ask your friends for recommendations and loans. Remember to be a lender, too.
5. Read. Start with Encarta's Jazz article. Go on to books. Several books on Jazz come with CDs, including Jazz for Dummies.
6. Find your groove. Do your favorite artists fall under cool jazz, fusion, swing? Look for some more artists in that genre. Try them.
7. Take a course. See what your local community college offers. Barnes & Noble has an online course.
8. Log on to Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble.com. Both sites recommend albums as do their users. Find out what other albums people have purchased along with your favorites.
9. Mad about an instrument? The main jazz instruments are the saxophone, trumpet, piano, bass, and drums. Who else plays the instrument you love? Don't forget the harmonica, guitar, and vibraphone.
10. Branch out. Don't be afraid to listen to music in other categories.

Encarta's Recommended Starter Collection
Here are ten albums that constitute a fine starter set of jazz recordings. There's no "right" or "perfect" collection. But the albums recommended below provide an overview of different styles and periods of jazz.

• The Best of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
• Billie Holiday Lady in Satin
• Duke Ellington The Blanton-Webster Band 
• Thelonious Monk Brilliant Corners
• Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie Jazz at Massey Hall
• Miles Davis Kind of Blue
• John Coltrane Giant Steps
• Modern Jazz Quartet Dedicated to Connie
• Wynton Marsalis The Marciac Suite
• Keith Jarrett The Köln Concert