Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented
crossover jazz and
easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s.
History
Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 1980s, displacing the more venturesome
jazz fusion from which it emerged. It avoids the
improvisational "risk-taking" of jazz fusion, emphasizing melodic form and much of the music was initially "a combination of jazz with easy-listening
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
and lightweight
R&B".
During the mid-1970s in the United States it was known as "smooth radio", and was not termed "smooth jazz" until the 1980s.
Notable artists
The mid- to late-1970s included songs “
Breezin'" as performed by another smooth jazz pioneer, guitarist
George Benson in 1976, the instrumental composition "
Feels So Good" by
flugelhorn player
Chuck Mangione
Charles Frank Mangione ( ; born November 29, 1940) is an American flugelhorn player, voice actor, trumpeter and composer.
He came to prominence as a member of Art Blakey's band in the 1960s, and later co-led the Jazz Brothers with his brother ...
, in 1978, "
What You Won't Do for Love" by
Bobby Caldwell along with his debut album was released the same year, jazz fusion group
Spyro Gyra's instrumental "
Morning Dance
''Morning Dance'' is the second album by the jazz fusion group Spyro Gyra. The album was released in 1979 and was certified gold by the RIAA on September 19, 1979, and was certified platinum on June 1, 1987.
At ''Billboard'' magazine, the album ...
", released in 1979
[ and in 1981, a collaboration between ]Grover Washington Jr.
Grover Washington Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999) was an American jazz-funk and soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with Wes Montgomery and George Benson, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre.
He w ...
and Bill Withers was released as one of the most popular smooth jazz songs " Just the Two of Us".
Smooth jazz grew in popularity in the 1980s as Anita Baker, Sade, Al Jarreau, Grover Washington Jr.
Grover Washington Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999) was an American jazz-funk and soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with Wes Montgomery and George Benson, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre.
He w ...
and Kenny G
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), known professionally as Kenny G, is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the best-selling artis ...
released multiple hit songs.
Critical and public reception
The smooth jazz genre experienced a backlash exemplified by critical complaints about the "bland" sound of top-selling saxophonist Kenny G
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), known professionally as Kenny G, is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the best-selling artis ...
, whose popularity peaked with his 1992 album '' Breathless''.[
Music reviewer George Graham argues that the "so-called 'smooth jazz' sound of people like Kenny G has none of the fire and creativity that marked the best of the fusion scene during its heyday in the 1970s".
Digby Fairweather, before the start of UK jazz station theJazz, denounced the change to a smooth jazz format on defunct radio station ]102.2 Jazz FM
102.2 Jazz FM (also known as London Jazz Radio and JFM) was a local jazz and soul music station for London run by GMG Radio. The station was based in and broadcast from Castlereagh Street in London. The station experimented with its core playli ...
, stating that the owners GMG Radio were responsible for the "attempted rape and (fortunately abortive) re-definition of the music — is one that no true jazz lover within the boundaries of the M25 will ever find it possible to forget or forgive."
See also
* Lofi hip hop
*Mallsoft
Mallsoft (also known as mallwave) is a vaporwave subgenre themed after retro shopping malls.
Overview
Often based on corporate lounge music, it is meant to conjure images of shopping malls, grocery stores, lobbies, and other places of public co ...
*Quiet storm
Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album ''A Quiet Storm''.
The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Lin ...
* Sophisti-pop
* Yacht rock
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smooth Jazz
Jazz fusion
Jazz genres
Pop music genres
Rhythm and blues music genres
1970s in music
1980s in music
1990s in music
Fusion music genres