The learning curve is challenging, for some of the musicians.
I remember meeting a fetching young woman in a bar, she took me home to her apartment and played a brand new album, Bitches Brew. If I had understood it then, maybe the evening would have led somewhere…
I think that there are many of us, at University who were music fans, graduated toward jazz as a background habit when studying. You cannot listen to the latest top or rock hits when studying, Physics, Calculus, etc. Although I had no formal music background, I found Weather Report, Pat Metheny, etc as a constant background to my study habits. That said, I prefer Jazz that does have some Melodic background, not just free form fusion and improvisation. For many years my top playing song on my ipod was The Way Up from Pat Metheny, it does take up both sides of the album and I saw one of his first live performances of that album. The musicianship of that group left a impression. Audiophildome, does lead to jazz influenced music, as there tends to be more complex sounds and music reproduction. Modern popular, rap, R & B, music is so devoid of musical appreciation, it has me scratching my head as to how younger peoples gravitate to that direction of music listening?
I was not a country fan, but that song (and whole album) is what convinced me that there’s something in the genre. That opening dissonance is a warning that what’s coming is worth paying attention to, not just generic “wife left dog died”.
Thanks for this topic
Finally have time to respond.
Most Jazz has no words.
This leaves many out.
I find you have to take people where they are and introduce them to jazz/rock, blues, r&b, classical hybrids.
Another strategy is taking them to live music, especially since Jazz is played in so many smaller venues where you can join the musicians in their experience,
A suggestion I give friends I do this with if they feel they are lost, is to focus on one instrument and follow it’s path.
The London Jazz scene is a current and vibrate.
Check out Tidal Play List:
UK Jazz Is Now
A jazz musician friend told me of a guy playing a tune that does have lyrics, but he was playing the saxophone. Midway through he stopped, people asked why, and he said, I forgot the words. 
Kind of like saying you hate classical because you don’t like the sound of harpsichords.
This is a joke ! Jazz didn’t start and end with the great Miles
Start with Louis ,Bix,Ellington,Basie. Then move to a whole
Bunch of stuff like Hawkins,Billie Goodman ,then move to
Teagarden,Condon,Teshmaker before moving on to Bird
Dizzy and Miles
No it’s not. This is about how to get into Jazz and has nothing to do with the history of jazz