I'm quite new to jazz, but have come across a lot of artists that I would say are definitely worth checking out. Obviously the well known names (John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, etc.) are
essential.
One song everybody will likely know by default:
I'll put the rest of the videos in spoiler tags to clean up my post a bit:
If you want something recent and an interesting take on jazz, Japan's
Soil & "Pimp" Sessions are incredible:
Also, Colin Stetson is a Canadian jazz saxophonist who does everything in one take using circular breathing: