Phenomenon of Smooth Jazz

[fdeck]

It's an unexplained phenomenon. I am not being glib when I say that.

You walked right into that one.

I also feel sad for people who live in the past, whenever their favorite traditional jazz was recorded. They kind of remind me of Woody Allen who always had old time music in his movies.

Woody Allen specializes in, and plays, traditional New Orleans jazz. He likes a musical style that's 100 years old. You like a musical style that's 40+ years old.

Trying to make a distinction between those two things seems like splitting hairs to me. The past is the past.

 

[ElectroVibe]

You walked right into that one.

Woody Allen specializes in, and plays, traditional New Orleans jazz. He likes a musical style that's 100 years old. You like a musical style that's 40+ years old.

Trying to make a distinction between those two things seems like splitting hairs to me. The past is the past.

Umm...never mind.

 

[ElectroVibe]

Beware of the trap of thinking we are on the righteous path. There is no particular "real" music. It's all music. Some of it you don't like and that's cool. Criticising a style is pointless. Is it done well or not? That, we can criticise from a viewpoint of knowledge and experience.

I don't believe people who were on the forefront of a movement were somehow better than the ones who followed. As if the Sex Pistols were greater than bands like The Police or U2.

 

[retslock]

My comment was not directed at you but to the trend that the thread seemed to be taken by some respondents. There is among some musicians I know, and it's reflected here too, an attitude of superiority to music styles such as easy listening or smooth jazz. None of us are more meritous for pursuing any particular music style even though one's preference may be complex or nuanced. That was my point.

 

[SteveCS]

I don't believe people who were on the forefront of a movement were somehow better than the ones who followed. As if the Sex Pistols were greater than bands like The Police or U2.

I'm not sure that judgements of 'better' or 'worse' can really be applied in quite such a broad manner. Putting aside the futility of trying to compare Pistols with The Police or U2, most 'movements' need some well-timed creative sparks or leaps of imagination which open the doors. Others may follow through those doors to create the feeding frenzy for the movement but they tend not to bring their own truly major creative innovations. Rather, they tend to emulate, consolidate, distill, refine or evolve the scope of things into some or other popular definition. They can rarely claim responsibility for it.

IMHO, YMMV, etc.

 

[ElectroVibe]

I think there is some kind of psychological wall that certain people have against smooth jazz for some reason. I feel like it's more popular with the general public, especially in urban areas.

 

[fdeck]

I think there is some kind of psychological wall that certain people have against smooth jazz for some reason. I feel like it's more popular with the general public, especially in urban areas.

There's always been an ebb and flow between "hot" and "cool" music. The early evolution of jazz was in fact driven by a demand for the hottest possible music, both among musicians and their audience, who wanted to dance.



And concurrently, there were also bands that never played anything hotter than a fox-trot.



One of these bands was "smooth," decades before smooth jazz. The Dick Jurgens Orchestra operated until recently, and was based in my locale, so I played with them several times. We always put on a good show, and our audiences loved it. But while the musicians appreciated playing, most of them would have expressed a preference for hotter music if asked. That's just the way it is. There's no accounting for taste.

If people express a dislike for your favorite genre, well, you kind of asked for it by starting this thread, but the suspicion that they must be mentally defective is unwarranted. I play music that quite frankly most people hate, and I got over it decades ago.

 

[ElectroVibe]

I see the origin of smooth jazz more the cool modern west coast jazz of the 1960s.

 

[ElectroVibe]

 

[ElectroVibe]

Wes Montgomery. Vince Guaraldi.

I think they were two major influences, and both are captured in this Guaraldi cover, with Montgomery guitar styling.
George Benson, 1976

 

[ElectroVibe]

 

[ElectroVibe]

Not sure how I would classify this, but I heard him on the SJ channel.

 

[ElectroVibe]

 

[ElectroVibe]

I was beyond ecstatic when I saw this duo in my YouTube feed.

 

[Kaa]

Our only smooth jazz station on terrestrial radio just flipped format this year to a hip indie pop and rock format. Stuff my teenage kids like.

I grew up on flugel icon Chuck Mangione's music. Some of it is great! Check out the bass playing on "Hide and Seek." And Chuck's solo is anything but smooth.

107.3 the Wa-a-a-a-ave.

 

[ElectroVibe]

Mark Egan

 

[Grinderman]

Does anyone ever think it kind of interesting how this music has not really changed much in the last 40 years.

Before, it seems like jazz changed more drastically about every 5 years or so.

What's the cause? Is this like some Perfect form of music that achieved that level 40 years ago? Did something special happen in the world around 1980?

Discuss this phenomenon or your favorite artists in the genre.

 

[fhm555]

Does anyone ever think it kind of interesting how this music has not really changed much in the last 40 years.

Before, it seems like jazz changed more drastically about every 5 years or so.

What's the cause? Is this like some Perfect form of music that achieved that level 40 years ago? Did something special happen in the world around 1980?

Discuss this phenomenon or your favorite artists in the genre.

One of the Universities here has a radio station and they play the full spectrum of jazz. Smooth jazz gets played, but not much. I can only get it If I go up around Huntsville but it's always fun to tune in when I'm up that way.