What is smooth jazz known for?
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. During the mid-1970s in the United States it was known as “smooth radio”, and was not termed “smooth jazz” until the 1980s.
What is the difference between jazz and smooth jazz?
The fundamental difference between smooth jazz and traditional jazz lies in the chief instrumentalist’s approach to improvisation. Typically, at least on record, smooth jazz musicians just don’t improvise. They often prefer to serve as a surrogate voice, “singing” the melody line over a simple pop or R&B groove.
Is smooth jazz considered jazz?
By a vast majority, smooth jazz is often regarded as ‘contemporary’ jazz or ‘instrumental pop’. Individuals who are fond of tuning into radio stations which play a mix of rhythm & blues and hip hop music, ideally qualify as the target audience of urban jazz.
What happen to smooth jazz?
Around 2007, the format became less popular; it was abandoned by several high-profile radio stations across the United States., including WQCD (now WFAN-FM) in New York, WNUA Chicago (now WCHI-FM), WJJZ in Philadelphia (now WISX), and KKSF (now KOSF) in San Francisco. …
How popular is smooth jazz?
Audience : A total combined audience of over 20 MILLION Listeners and Visitors per year, SmoothJazz.com Global is available on the Internet and phone networks with free mobile device app (SmoothGlobal – iOS and Android).
Who made smooth jazz?
Grover Washington, Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999) has been considered by many to be the founding father of smooth jazz and a master of the jazz funk genre, working as a prominent songwriter and talented saxophonist. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Washington made some of the genre’s most memorable hits.
Is smooth jazz still popular?
In terms of its popularity, smooth jazz peaked in the early 00s, but it still has a loyal audience, with artists such as keyboardist Jeff Lorber, saxophonists Boney James and Richard Elliot, guitarist Chuck Loeb, and vocalist Will Downing (the latter proving that smooth jazz isn’t the exclusive preserve of …
What is smooth music?
Definition (adjective): (music) without breaks between notes; smooth and connected. Example: a legato passage. Definition (adjective): of motion that runs or flows or proceeds without jolts or turbulence.
When was smooth jazz created?
It started in the late 1960s when virtuosic jazz artists, facing declining record sales, began incorporating pop elements in their music to reach a wider audience.
When was smooth jazz made?
Who created smooth jazz?
Grover Washington, Jr.
Grover Washington, Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999) has been considered by many to be the founding father of smooth jazz and a master of the jazz funk genre, working as a prominent songwriter and talented saxophonist. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Washington made some of the genre’s most memorable hits.
How did smooth jazz become a genre?
Smooth jazz became a genre through Broadcast Architecture (BA) a process in which a test group of listeners were played thirty second snippets of tunes and decided whether the track would pass.
Who is the host of jazz a la Mode?
The Award-winning jazz podcast, hosted by Jeffrey Siegel. A Jazz and Blues podcast from New England Public Media’s Tom Reney. Tom has been the host of the Jazz a la Mode radio program for over 30 years.
Is there such a thing as’smooth jazz’?
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”.
What are some of the best smooth jazz songs?
Chuck Mangione’s number one hit “Feels So Good” was massive in the early goings of smooth jazz. The nearly ten minute tune was squashed into a 3:28 single edit that’s still heard on soft rock stations today. What pushed smooth jazz over the edge though was the 1980’s and one Kenneth Gorelick, bertter known as Kenny G.