I remember the day I was just switching channels on the TV, and I came across a concert on the PBS station with these four guys that looked like they were in a typical rock band, but they were playing jazz.
It was The Pat Metheny Group, and it totally changed everything for me. I rushed out to the local Peaches and got every Metheny album I could get my hands on. It was my gateway into Jazz. Before that, I couldn’t have come up with the names of any jazz musicians.
His interview with Metheny is one of his best. Years ago I was given As Falls Wichita So Falls Wichita Falls on vinyl by a family member and would listen to the A side sometimes as a background soundscape to fall asleep to, but never really listened to the B side. Then finally I gave it a real listen and realized how good it is. That was an early nudge in the jazz direction for me. I’m still not a true jazz guy but I’ve come to see how important jazz knowledge is for writing pop songs.