Smooth Jazz is Jazz

[Jeff Scott]

Such a great album.. I saw her when she came to town but unfortunately there was no bassist in the band. She was still great though..

I've seen her a couple of times, the first in a large theatre (about 2700 seat), the second time in a tiny (now defunct) jazz club. Basia said she felt like she was playing in her living room! She had a great band with her (and two of the Clarisse sisters, the twins, singing). IIRC, the bassist was Rufus Philpot.

 

[Geri O]

Oh, Gosh, I wouldn't even know where to start of my favorite jazz players and groups, smooth or otherwise.

I'm very fortunate to be friend with a "jazz quartet" that plays every Tuesday night at a local restaurant/pub. The play old standards, some Pat Metheny and Bill Evans-type stuff, some Miles, and the smooth stuff, too. They are are very kind and gracious to allow me to sit in 2-3 songs when I can attend. Great guys.

Wish I could get deeper into that music. All of it!

 

[Bass-ball]

Wish I could get deeper into that music. All of it!

It's addicting AF. I discovered it in '95 one day after work on those music channels they used to have at the high end of the cable channel guides. I worked in a warehouse driving a forklift at the time, and everybody there was either hip hop, rap, rock/metal, country, or nothing at all. I was eating lunch in my car one day with the windows down listening to the smooth jazz FM station, and this guy walked by who heard it, and goes "You listen to THAT???" I was like "Hell yeah!" I was expecting him to laugh at me or something, and then later that day after we clocked out he cornered me and we talked for like an hour about the genre. We exchanged CDs that whole summer until I went back to school (I only worked there in the summer). What I'm saying is, fans of it are around, you just have to be brave enough to say something.

Also, this genre never really experienced the "hot" mastering that generated the loudness wars in other genres like pop, dance, and rock, so if you have a good stereo system, this genre absolutely soars when you crank it up. No clipping or snap-crackle-pop in your speakers. It's so lush. Love it.

 

[ElectroVibe]

Pat Metheny probably just resents his commercial success.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

So would I, but curious why you wouldn’t call them smooth jazz. What are the elemental differences you hear in what they do versus, say, the Rippingtons?

To be clear I’m asking curiously, not combatively.

I need to listen to the Rippingtons more. I guess the Yellowjackets are different from a lot Smooth Jazz because they tend to let the compositions vary a lot. Some Smooth Jazz acts really focus on always having a relaxing feel to their music.

 

[JRA]

Anybody still gatekeeping "jazz" in 2023 needs a new hobby

Pat Metheny probably just resents his commercial success.

i'm gonna disagree: i doubt it!

 

[conttador]

I’ll just say, not all smooth jazz is created equal!

I’ve had many arguments over this song. Whether it’s smooth jazz or not… it doesn’t matter what it is, it’s a bad ass song, written by Marcus Miller..,

 

[rashrader]

Yeah, of course, Doc. It’s hard to believe that people are prejudiced when it comes to music just because of the associated genre, right? Free your mind….

 

[mike buzzetti]

Jazz is for people that dont like BAR CHORDS !

 

[red_rhino]

You can't have a smooth jazz thread without some Spyro Gyra!

 

[retslock]

Some people just have cloth ears and lack discriminating evaluation. Remember when Kenny G became popular. The people who thought they were too cool dismissed his stuff as ‘elevator music’. As a consequence, a whole lot of people suddenly thought anything with a soprano sax in it was dross. Worse still, anything at all with a laid back groove was rubbish.
Labels aren’t helpful unless you know the person using them very well. Even then you can be mistaken.
Criticising style is pointless. No-one can validate your opinion. Criticise performance by all means but style is totally subjective and beyond any meaningful critique. You like it or you don’t.

 

[devnulljp]

Your call is important to us. Please continue to hold, and a member of our team will be with you as soon as possible.

 

[Bass-ball]

You can't have a smooth jazz thread without some Spyro Gyra!

Beginners usually love this one because it's a slap-o-rama, but man, when Scott Ambush wants to fly, he'll fly...



The dude plays upright on their records too. And I believe he also makes all his own basses from scratch. Also another super nice guy if you ever get to meet him.

 

[Bass-ball]

Some people just have cloth ears and lack discriminating evaluation. Remember when Kenny G became popular. The people who thought they were too cool dismissed his stuff as ‘elevator music’. As a consequence, a whole lot of people suddenly thought anything with a soprano sax in it was dross. Worse still, anything at all with a laid back groove was rubbish.
Labels aren’t helpful unless you know the person using them very well. Even then you can be mistaken.
Criticising style is pointless. No-one can validate your opinion. Criticise performance by all means but style is totally subjective and beyond any meaningful critique. You like it or you don’t.

And yet, if you see KG live, he'll blow your freaking mind. Yeah he is used as the scapegoat for the shift away more traditional stuff, but holy cow, what a musician.

 

[Michael Eisenman]

No One Sets Out To Be A Smooth Jazz Musician

 

[HelpImaRock]

Sure, smooth jazz is jazz. I just don't want anything to do with it. Same goes for lite rock and similarly glossy musics. They're just not my thing. I'm glad you like it tho.

 

[Topkat13]

Does anybody know what eggs are going for in China?

 

[retslock]

There are only two types of music - good music, and bad music. Which is which is is up to each and every listener.

But yeah, why wouldn't smooth jazz be jazz?

I always thought that Ellington quote referred to whether the music was played well or played badly irrespective of style, rather than whether you like it or not.

 

[burk48237]

My answer to the G question is NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not ready to call Jeff Lorber or Najee not Jazz but for the most part I find a lot (not all) of it being mediocre pablum that requires no commitment by the listener. Much of it is elevator grade music. To me real Jazz ask the listener, to be involved, to pay attention. Most smooth Jazz says to the listener, go ahead have your conversation, eat dessert, drink another pretentious wine, ignore us, we are background noise.

 

[Carl Hillman]

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

Sanborn plays out of the side of his mouth because he had polio as a child. He was in an iron lung for a year and took up the sax to help strengthen his mouth/throat/lungs.