A good way to "understand" jazz for a newcomer IMHO is to listen to some non-jazz versions of those standards. A good example is the song Autumn Leaves. Listen

A good way to "understand" jazz for a newcomer IMHO is to listen to some non-jazz versions of those standards. A good example is the song Autumn Leaves. Listen to Frank Sinatra's stripped-down, straightforward version, and then listen to a jazz version (I recommend Bill Evans'). You'll hear bits and pieces of the original melody, interrupted by minutes of improvisation and embellishment, but it's still the same song underneath.