For shame... no one's mentioned Charlie Parker yet? Tsk, tsk... :yikes:

Here's a starting guide for jazz, divided into sub-genres (also, for a first listen, I'd go with what people are telling you and listen to Kind of Blue, but you've already checked that out by now, haven't you? :D

Traditional/Dixieland:

Louis Armstrong
Bix Beiderbecke
Jelly Roll Morton
Sidney Bechet

Big Band/Swing:

Duke Ellington
Count Basie
Benny Goodman (overrated, but personifies the genre pretty well)

Vocal Jazz:

Ella Fitzgerald
Billie Holiday
Sarah Vaughan

Bebop:

Charlie Parker
Dizzy Gillespie
Thelonious Monk

Hard Bop:

Art Blakey
50's Charles Mingus stuff (Mingus Ah Um, in particular)
Cannonball Adderley

Free Jazz:

Ornette Coleman
Coltrane's later stuff
Sun Ra
Cecil Taylor

Fusion:

Miles Davis (Davis has excellent work that fits into most jazz genres from 1945 on until his death, so he also applies to Bebop and Hard Bop, Cool Jazz, and Post-Bop)
The Mahavishnu Orchestra
Return to Forever
Weather Report

That's just the tip of the iceberg, there are a ton more sub-genres and great artists that I didn't mention. But pick out any of those, and you'll be hearing some fine, fine music. There are artists such as Miles Davis and John Coltrane that have covered several different genres, so I didn't categorize them in any place particular (except for Miles in fusion, because he created it and was the best at it, IMO). Enjoy, I believe you've got some downloading/buying to do. :D

P.S. Parliament and Funkadelic aren't jazz, but I could dig on the funk for weeks straight.:afro:

charlie parker is great - i have this bird and diz record which has some great playing - also the soundtrack to bird is amazing

don cherry is great for free jazz too

It wouldn't be the Quintet's (Bird, Diz, Bud Powell, Mingus, and Max Roach) Jazz Live at Massey Hall, would it? That's a classic, and one of my all-time faves. :)

not sure - it looks pretty "unnoficial" the cover has pictures of parker and bird that look like they had just been glued on and the words "bird and diz" in times new roman - not sure what the record label is but ill try to find out

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

That's the one I'm talking about, doesn't fit all the way with your description. There are a lot of Parker/Gillespie recordings, though, which vary from classic to at least decent. I can't say I've listened to them all, but I doubt any of them are terrible.

Hey!
you should go for "the idea of north" they are a great a cappella jazz group! really awsome! i think u can get them at abc shops.
~han~

curtis mayfield - super fly, great movie great music

Curis Mayfield was funk, but nontheless Superfly was indeed Soooopa Flyyy.

jazzfromhell- Billie Holiday... was absolutely amazing

Preach, brother. I've always been more of an Ella fan, myself, but Lady Day can still make my day, on any day of the week. :D

Jimmy Smith
Wes Montgomery
Django Reinhardt.