My original songs often get auto-tagged into that category, even though I don't put them there. I don't really know what to call them, so I guess it's ok if the algorithms have a better idea.she shows up on smooth jazz radio. lots of artists have tunes that fit into the genre, however loosely, IME/IMO.
look, i'm no expert and i don't attend the events (as a fan)...i just hear it --- sometimes i use that influence in some idea i'm having (a tune or an arrangement) like i would with bebop/swing/rock/funk/blues/whatever.
i can go with that to some extent, it's formulaic like pop, but the improvisational part is a reflection of the jazz tradition, IMO. also, there are lots of great players/musicians in the genre, generally. just sayin'.
edit: i'm in one all-instrumental band and we're often referred to as "smooth jazz" even though we might play a single tune from that 'playlist'. so there's that.
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Phenomenon of Smooth Jazz
- Thread starter ElectroVibe
- Start date
i can't describe it for you, but i know it when i hear it. i'm not surprised --- and i'm guessing my band's music would be "auto-tagged" the same...even though we don't think of ourselves as "smooth jazz."
A lot of stuff got blurry then. Fusion hit its stride at that point, so did progressive rock. One rooted primarily in jazz, the other rooted in classical and European traditions. But as soon as the money started pouring in, the powers that be started dumbing down artists to put out there for mass appeal and we ended up with some very different things that sort of resembled what gave rise to them in superficial ways.
As for me, whenever I hear something that really sounds like smooth jazz, my first comment is to do my best fake TV announcer's voice and say "And now... your local forecast." People of a certain age will understand. Actually the folks at the Weather Channel put some pretty good stuff up on occasion.
But smooth jazz is not a genre I listen to, though I appreciate good chops whenever and wherever I hear them. It's just too slick for me.
As a fan of trad jazz, lounge music and soul jazz, I’ve got to agree with the point about 80s smooth jazz. I can listen to lounge music and soul jazz for hours, but the smooth jazz from the 80s on just sounds so bland. It’s as if once funk became its own genre, smooth jazz had to erase any trace of soul or funk to position itself as what it is not. Like removing any danceability because that wasn’t smooth enough.
Including some of my favorite library funk or lounge:
Including some of my favorite library funk or lounge:
I love that so many people think genius-level creatives should spend their whole day working in gas stations "for the art" because doing something for money with their abilities would be beneath them.
I have a love-hate relationship with hip-hop. I wouldn’t want it to disappear completely but I’d like to see it go back underground and reinvent itself out of necessity.
I don’t know if he had anything to do with it, but I’m going to blame David Foster for bad smooth jazz anyway. 
Amidst all of this fine discussion, take a breather, watch, and listen... <c:
The intensity. All he did was make me want to listen to Kenny G, and give him a chance.
I certainly feel that people should have an opportunity to get paid for their art, commercial or otherwise. While I disagree with the statement that one or another genre cannot be inherently better than another I'm not going to debate what is or is not "true" art. Because that would be silly. These days we're dealing with platforms such as Youtube that profit from content creation without properly compensating the creators. It's a system that awards those who create the most socially conditioned and banal content at the expense of those who are truly being creative. I feel that smooth jazz is just a product and it just my opinion. That's all.
No problem. Different strokes for different folks.
So what makes one genre better than another?
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Obviously, the prominence and respect of the bass player.
What I hear when someone says that is that they just cannot hear the music or appreciate it.
I'm not taking the bait here. If someone thinks that "Smooth Jazz" has merit then that's OK. I feel that this discussion is worthless.
You realize this is an argumentum ad hominem. Granted, what you're arguing against is also weak. Truth be told there's no strong argument for or against a musical style. Enjoy what you enjoy. Most importantly, play.
Actually, nope. Way off. Art is strictly done alone, strictly for the artists own pleasure? Art is a hard thing to define, especially because it has more than one meaning, but that definition is absurd.
It's a definition a LOT of musicians would find very useful. But feel free to provide your own.
Just don't complain that no one is coming to see your art. They will probably be out watching some entertainment instead.
