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What genre would you say this is?
- Thread starter 10emmanuel
- Start date
I'd say that is some sort of fusion groove ;-)
I'd really say this is background music for clips with exotic dancing (wink wink).
Since it's a bit funky and a bit jazzy and a bit too polished, fusion does work for me, though.
Since it's a bit funky and a bit jazzy and a bit too polished, fusion does work for me, though.
That track sounds like what gets called “smooth jazz” here in the USA. A mix of jazz, Latin, soul and funk. Mainly instrumental, although there are often “guest” vocalists on the recordings.
There’s a 2025 Smooth Jazz Cruise, here’s the lineup. As good a source of names to start checking out as anything else. Some of these artists were around when the genre began back in the 1980s, others are more recent.
BONEY JAMES
MARCUS MILLER
JONATHAN BUTLER
CANDY DULFER
MINDI ABAIR
ERIC MARIENTHAL
PETER WHITE
KIRK WHALUM
ERIC DARIUS
JUDITH HILL
VINCENT INGALA
DAMIEN ESCOBAR
LARRY BRAGGS
PATTI AUSTIN
BOB JAMES
LEE RITENOUR
DAVE WECKL
PATCHES STEWART
MARCUS ANDERSON
JAZMIN GHENT
IVAN PEROTI
MS. MONÉT
MARQUEAL JORDAN
Also check out the CTI Records and GRP labels (no longer active but plenty of reissues available). Their recordings in the 1970s and 80s were ground zero for what became known as smooth jazz.
Not to mention this track from 1976
There’s a 2025 Smooth Jazz Cruise, here’s the lineup. As good a source of names to start checking out as anything else. Some of these artists were around when the genre began back in the 1980s, others are more recent.
BONEY JAMES
MARCUS MILLER
JONATHAN BUTLER
CANDY DULFER
MINDI ABAIR
ERIC MARIENTHAL
PETER WHITE
KIRK WHALUM
ERIC DARIUS
JUDITH HILL
VINCENT INGALA
DAMIEN ESCOBAR
LARRY BRAGGS
PATTI AUSTIN
BOB JAMES
LEE RITENOUR
DAVE WECKL
PATCHES STEWART
MARCUS ANDERSON
JAZMIN GHENT
IVAN PEROTI
MS. MONÉT
MARQUEAL JORDAN
Also check out the CTI Records and GRP labels (no longer active but plenty of reissues available). Their recordings in the 1970s and 80s were ground zero for what became known as smooth jazz.
Not to mention this track from 1976
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Maybe it's just my lack of worldliness, but my first impression was yacht rock or something you might hear while wandering through a trade show as a soundtrack for a taped presentation of some tool or new coating method for your driveway.
Smooth jazz is the best fit.
One of my favorite tracks of theirs! In fact, their debut album is really good.
One of my favorite tracks of theirs! In fact, their debut album is really good.
Smooth Jazz (formerly Contemporary Jazz). Jazz Fusion is a bit more progressive than this track. Smooth Jazz was a format created by Clear Channel in the 90's. They dictated to bands to adhere to the format or not have their music heard on the radio. A lot of it was used as background music in elevators, supermarkets and in other corporate atmospheres.
Sorry, I got off track. Basically..............Smooth Jazz...........
Sorry, I got off track. Basically..............Smooth Jazz...........
There's a similar thread over on the Jazz Guitar Forum where someone referred to this genre as "baby-making music"
...which I found hysterical and appropriate, because George Benson's Breezin' album was playing on the turntable when I lost my virginity!
