Do you listen to that oh-so-loved jazz music and not understand why people love it? Do you have one of those "its okay" feelings? Well, with a little love in your heart, you can listen to that rap-tappin' beat in jazz.

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[edit] Steps

Start where jazz history started, Ragtime. Listen to Scott Joplin, the Entertainer especially, then the Maple Leaf Rag, these are extreme favorites. try moving to these. You might a love for specifically ragtime!
Now, try listening to the swing. You can dance to these easily. Possible favorites can be "Hit the road jack" by Ray Charles. You will love this one! Otherwise try listening to this upbeat instrumental called In the Mood by the Glenn Miller
At night to cool down, listen to Cool Jazz. Artists such as Chet Baker in songs such as "Someday my prince will come" and artists such as Gil Evans and Stan Getz are also quite good. This is also a distinct style. If this doesn't please your tastes, try be-bop.
Many people love be-bop. try listening to Dizzy Gillespie. he is quite good, with a lot of energy in his songs. Charlie Parker and him played together once.
Try listening to the blues, this will get you used to the soul and heart put into some jazz songs. Try Bobby Rush, Denise LaSalle, Sir Charles Jones, Bettye LaVette, and Peggy Scott-Adams. Try to learn the lyrics so you can sing along. You don't have to buy the CDs listen to them on youtube, or buy it from iTunes, but sample it first!
Figure out what you listened to before, and try to find a genre of jazz that you may like off of that. If you enjoyed, say, New Age, try listening to artists like Keith Jarret, or if you listened to rock, try out Fusion. Later forms of jazz started shaping around mainstream popularity, so there is a genre of jazz for almost all music (even Jazz Rap)! But be sure not to get stuck on the sub-genre; try branching out to more solid forms of jazz.