Smooth Jazz is Jazz

[Bass-ball]

I turned 40 last year and it was like someone went and flipped the "now you like smooth jazz" switch on in my brain.

Welcome aboard.

Now you need to book a trip on a Dave Koz Cruise! It's on my bucket list. The list of artists on those things is insane, and all under one roof.

 

[Altitude]

Yellowjackets' older stuff has that creamy keyboard layering to it that Russ uses with the Rippingtons, a lot of sax-forward tunes, and similar tempos and key sigs. To me they're very similar, though I hear Russ' rock roots more in the Ripps (he covers Hendrix tunes sometimes at his shows), whereas the Yellowjackets sometimes fall back on more traditional patterns and chord choices. To my ears, anyway. I'm more of a Ripps guy, but I think the Yellowjackets' debut album is among the best in the genre.

I might say that the further back you go, the more similar Yellowjackets and Rippingtons sounded.

Seems to me that beginning in the 00s (maybe), the Yellowjackets developed more of an improvisational element and some less predictable song structures. It might be Mintzer’s influence I’m hearing.

I’ve not listened to any Rippingtons in quite a while. I should refresh.

 

[Holdsg]

I've enjoyed playing SJ songs since "covering" Morning Dance in my Jr High School jazz band

 

[Michael Jewels]

This song goes from a crash-opening to super smooth and has a very good piano break towards the end.

 

[Michael Jewels]

And this, is not smooth jazz, but I think it still fits in here.

That’s, Bob James, who wrote the theme to the show, Taxi, and that’s, Nathan Watts on bass.

 

[Michael Jewels]

I don’t know how that unicorn got in there.

 

[SteveC]

Haslip plays well in so many groups. I love the Yellowjackets with him, Bob, Russ and Will.
And to a previous analogy, more curves, more interesting.

 

[Altitude]

I might say that the further back you go, the more similar Yellowjackets and Rippingtons sounded.

Seems to me that beginning in the 00s (maybe), the Yellowjackets developed more of an improvisational element and some less predictable song structures. It might be Mintzer’s influence I’m hearing.

I’ve not listened to any Rippingtons in quite a while. I should refresh.

Last Yellowjackets post and then I’ll move on, I promise.

I initially had a bad attitude about Dane Alderson because, well, he’s not Jimmy Haslip. But the dude can play. Give him a chance - his playing is in the same stylistic universe as Haslip; turns out he’s very interesting and creative.

Last ~3 albums or so. Felix Pastorius played on a couple before that, ironically my least favorite bass work of all in that band.

 

[SteveC]

Last Yellowjackets post and then I’ll move on, I promise.

I initially had a bad attitude about Dane Alderson because, well, he’s not Jimmy Haslip. But the dude can play. Give him a chance - his playing is in the same stylistic universe as Haslip; turns out he’s very interesting and creative.

Last ~3 albums or so. Felix Pastorius played on a couple before that, ironically my least favorite bass work of all in that band.

Agreed. Dane can play. I'll always like the group I listed above and Jimmy, but I'll take Dane over Felix any day. Felix can play, but I don't think he "fit" with the Jackets. Dane does.

 

[BlueTalon]

When I was in the Navy, stationed on a ship in San Diego, I spent countless hours on countless nights (and weekend days) listening to smooth jazz on an excellent jazz radio station there. What little slap I play can be directly attributed to me listening to David Sandborn & Marcus Miller (almost 40 years before I discovered who Marcus Miller is) play Run For Cover and trying to mimic what I heard over the radio speakers.

 

[Bass-ball]

I might say that the further back you go, the more similar Yellowjackets and Rippingtons sounded.

Seems to me that beginning in the 00s (maybe), the Yellowjackets developed more of an improvisational element and some less predictable song structures. It might be Mintzer’s influence I’m hearing.

I’ve not listened to any Rippingtons in quite a while. I should refresh.

To me the Ripps got a bit too electronic around 2002, and I haven't been as hard core as I was with them in the 90s. I stop in once in a while, but when I do, it's usually not like it was. That said, 2019's "Open Road" has a few surprises on it. There's even a double-bass drum fill on "Before Sunrise" around the 3:08 mark that took me off guard.

Absolutely agree on the change in Yellowjackets. I like their earlier, more accessible stuff but that's not to say the totality of their current stuff isn't enjoyable; just takes more patience for me to find the parts I like.

 

[Bass-ball]

Last Yellowjackets post and then I’ll move on, I promise

No way man, keep it alive!!!

 

[Bassamatic]

Just listen to ANY Russ Freeman and the Rippingtons. Incredible music and musicianship. His guitar solos are amazing.

 

[micguy]

My church had a 20 something service years ago, and one of the things they did once was have a music "showdown" - there were 2 bands, plus assorted extra members that joined for certain tunes, and each would play a tune in one style - there were 8 styes presented, IIRC. Then the audience, by applause, would vote for one style versus the other. In the end, the "finals" were Hip Hop versus Smooth Jazz. The Pastor, who was the DJ for the Hip Hop tune, was very disappointed that Hip Hop was beaten by smooth Jazz.

In the final analysis, it was the band having a lot of fun taking liberties with a Kenny G tune (and some FOH help with literally infinite sustain on the soprano sax, with the sax player hamming it up) that was the crowd pleaser.

 

[Bass-ball]

His guitar solos are amazing.

He's so good. A great mix of virtuosity and smoothness.

Speaking of that, I think my favorite smooth jazz guitarist, at least in the 'second generation' era, is Norman Brown. Listen to the soloing in this one. It's face-melting:



And he plays like that a lot, and almost all his albums. The dude's a machine. Nice guy, too.

 

[Joebone]

I’ll give you guys just one more, otherwise I’ll post a hundred songs.



People tell me the music I listen to is too mellow.

Mike

Well, I'll check this out later, but coming from the guy who gave us "Popsicle Toes," I have some doubts...

 

[Koshchei]

I wonder if monster jazz players with a wealth of talent and chops sometimes tire of playing music that's mostly accessible to other monster musicians and a small percentage of the public. Maybe sometimes they'd rather play music that's more accessible to the average listener. I'm not talking about totally "dumbing it down," so to speak; I mean not always playing music that's too "out there" for most people.

Why would monster players only play challenging music? There's nothing out there that says that everybody needs to play right at the limits of their understanding of harmony and technical ability all the time.

 

[SteveC]

Sandborn's embouchure is so odd. As a former sax player it always bugs me a little when I see it, but he can play so there you go.

 

[BlueTalon]

Sandborn's embouchure is so odd. As a former sax player it always bugs me a little when I see it, but he can play so there you go.

I sometimes wonder if he didn't learn that at one point by playing two saxes at once, like this.

 

[micguy]

Why would monster players only play challenging music? There's nothing out there that says that everybody needs to play right at the limits of their understanding of harmony and technical ability all the time.

I'm pretty sure "Metal" players would disagree. Yngwie would probably fight you over that statement.