A kind word for Smooth Jazz

[BargeOn]

Smoooothe…

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That looks like Jim Woodring cover art

 

[Tom Bomb]

I like it too​

 

[Bob_Ross]

one afternoon years ago, I put on CD 101 (A NYC smooth jazz station) in my car.
I got out for a couple hours; by the time I returned, the same station was now playing metal

Reminds me of what happened to the "contemporary jazz" station I listened to when I was a teenager growing up in the suburbs around New York City circa 1972-78.
This was at the height of fusion, but also when a number of jazz artists were taking some of the boom/bap grooves of rock and layering melodic listener-friendly [sic] tunes on top, so essentially forming the nascent Smooth Jazz genre (but before it evolved into the whole "Quiet Storm"/fuzak scene).

Anyway, this station -- whose call letters I forget -- had been playing contemporary jazz, straightahead jazz, smooth jazz, jazz-rock/fusion, even totally abstract out jazz* for years. It was my first serious introduction to jazz, at the time when I was just starting to play bass and guitar seriously, and so it was really instrumental (no pun intended) in forming my personal musical aesthetic.

And then one day, after half-a-dozen years of getting an education in the vast scope of all types of jazz from their wonderfully varied playlist, I turned on the radio and they were playing

...Country & Western.



There had been a complete sea change in their raison d'etre, and the target audience and playlists were now 100% different. Overnight. :::angryface:::

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*I can remember hearing the entirety of the Circle album (improvised free-jazz from Chick Corea, Anthony Braxton, Dave Holland, and Barry Altschul), The Crusaders' cover of Carol King's "So Far Away" (archetypal Smooth Jazz albeit with some killer improvised solos), Al DiMeola's "Elegant Gypsy Suite" (early shred-fusion), and Jaco Pastorius' "Opus-Pocus" (proto-funk/world music from his debut album) ...all in the span of one 2-hour broadcast!

 

[dalkowski]

For me, good music is not defined by genre.

Damn straight. When we shake off genre, our ears and minds open wide and more music sounds better.

 

[Tom Bomb]

Don't tell anyone. Keep it under your hat.
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[fhm555]

I saw a local saxophonist Friday night named Tim Cunningham. I had heard of him but never saw him before tonight at a supper club show. They played Smooth Jazz, mainly instrumental versions of R&B songs except Toto’s Georgy Porgy (which is R&B too, but Toto is a “Rock” band.)

The band was top flight! They all had a ton of chops, great groove, and they all had nice solos. The music was not edgy, the musicians did not play “outside” but they were tight and funky! This was a great reminder that any music that is well executed and sincere is worthy of respect.

One more thing, the bassist was killing it on a Bass Mods five string Jazz. This is the second time I seen Bass Mods axes in action. Given their sound and reasonable price, I can see why so many funky dudes use them.

So true. I like good music, don't care who is playing it, what slot it's in, or anything else about it. If it flows and is tight and well executed, I'm in. Admittedly, there are some forms I will listen to longer than others, but I'll listen to anything well played.
Oh, I think I bought a preamp from the eBay seller who became Bass Mods. It was the second eBay store I saw do well enough to become a full time job off the platform. It might be three, but I don't know if the Stratosphere was on eBay before it showed up on the dub dub dub.