It is quite sad, Jazz is very overlooked by kids these days, i saw wallmarts jazz section the other day, pretty much all they had was Kenny G.
I recomend.
Miles Davis
John Coltrane
Thelonious Monk
Bill Evans
Stan Getz
Ornette Coleman
King Olliver
Count Bassie
Charles Mingus
Dizzy Gillespie
Art Tatum
Dave Brubeck Quartet
Django Reinhardt
Lou Armstrong
Coleman Hopkins
Duke Ellington
Billie Holiday
Sonny Rollins
McCoy Tyner
Earl Hines
Jelly Roll Morton
Herbie Hanc0ck
Modern Jazz Quartet
Wynton Marsalis
Wes Montgomery
Charlie Christian
Joe Pass
Stanley Jordon
Max Roach
Jo Jones
The Mahavishnu Orchestra (Mixture of jazz and prog)
Soft Machine
And if you are into soft and mellow fusion type stuff...
Weather Report
Pat Metheny
Allan Holdsworth
And if you like rock with a heavy dose of jazz...
Frank Zappa
Steely Dan
Santana
Grateful Dead
Phish
Jeff Beck (mid 70s)
Greenslade
Television
Tom Waits (early years)
Blood Sweat And Tears
Gong
King Crimson (69-71 pre Wetton period)