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Smooth jazz is a music genre that evolved from a blend of jazz fusion and pop music, featuring a polished pop & jazzy feel  “(that) relies on rhythms and grooves instead of improvisation.” Arose in the mid-1970s, this genre was influenced by rhythm and blues, funk, and rock and roll; but it wasn’t named as smooth jazz until the 1980s.

Smooth Jazz relies on chill rhythms and grooves; consistent rhythmic and motivic patterns are common elements in this type of music. Small rhythm section is usually part of the instrumentation; alto or soprano saxophones, drums, basses, guitars, synthesizers and pianos are the most frequently used instruments in this genre. Different from traditional jazz styles, the smooth, polished and chill vibe matters more than any individual parts. For this reason, Smooth jazz has less improvisations compare to traditional jazz styles; and when the players improvise, their solos are usually more melodic, diatonic and easy listening. For this specific reason, it was easier for the mass audience to listen to and thus took over the ‘90s radio. For example, Wes Montgomery had a famous cover of Little Anthony and the Imperials’ “Goin Out of My Head”, “While most jazz at the time was based on highly improvised solos, Wes Montgomery strictly stuck to the hook that radio listeners couldn’t get out of their heads.”

Smooth jazz was once successful as a radio format. However, in 2007, the popularity of the format began to change. Consequently, it was abandoned by several high-profile radio stations across the U.S.A., such as radio stations in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco. Today, the most applicable way to find Smooth Jazz music is going to Spotify and Youtube playlists. Some traditional jazz players and jazz purists did not embrace the popular style; Jazz Journal's "Sound Investment" column stated in November 1999 that it "would cover an extremely wide spectrum of jazz styles" while avoiding smooth jazz. Despite the negative views coming from these traditional jazz musicians, Smooth jazz concerts, recording sales, and the internet, continue to show strong fan support for the genre today. Musicians such as Kenny G, Ramsey Lewis, Dave Koz, and Spyro Gyra have had hits with instrumental recordings, while singers such as Anita Baker, Sade, Sting and Norah Jones have found success with vocal releases. In addition, George Benson remains a popular Smooth Jazz artist as both a singer and guitar player.

History and Origins:
Smooth Jazz was an evolution of Cool, Electric, and Be-bop styles primarily traced to artists Grover Washington Jr., CTI Records, and other artists like Wes Montgomery during the 1960s. What emerged at this time was more akin to R&B and Soul, with improvised melodies over the groove created by the rhythm section. Once artist George Benson went platinum on records of this style, corporations began to capitalize on it. Smooth Jazz only became a genre of its own when marketing stepped in. Freeform radio stations were bought out by corporations, and market research firms targeted their audiences with focus groups. The music of George Benson and Bob James was called "Smooth Jazz" at a focus group, and the name stuck.

The earliest albums and songs released with this marketing in mind were the 1975 album Touch by saxophonist John Klemmer, the song "Breezin'" as performed by guitarist George Benson in 1976, the 1977 instrumental composition "Feels So Good" by flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione, and jazz fusion group Spyro Gyra's instrumental "Morning Dance", released in 1979.[2] Smooth jazz grew in popularity in the 1980s as Anita Baker, Sade, Al Jarreau and Grover Washington released multiple hit songs.[3] Many established jazz performers recorded for CTI (including Freddie Hubbard, Chet Baker, George Benson and Stanley Turrentine). The records recorded under this guidance were aimed as much at pop audiences as at jazz fans, with string section arrangements and a much stronger emphasis on melody.

The smooth jazz genre began to decline at the end of the 1980s in a backlash of critical complaints about what many critics saw as the "bland" sound of top-selling saxophonist Kenny G, whose popularity peaked with his 1992 album Breathless.[2] This decline in acceptance within the Jazz community was during a rise in its corporate sponsorship, as the first dedicated Smooth Jazz radio station was in 1987- KTWV in Los Angeles, 94.7 THE WAVE. The radio presence of Smooth Jazz and its popularity in background formats continued, reaching a height in 1994., when Kenny G won Best Adult Contemporary Artist at the American Music Awards. Smooth Jazz went on to be recognized as a successful radio format into the early 2000s, and has subsequently spread into most radio markets within the United States and abroad.

Famous Musicians
There are many notable smooth jazz artists such as George Benson, Kenny G, Chris Bott i, Fourplay, and Bob James.

George Benson is one of the most versatile musicians of all time. His immense skill set spans from smooth jazz to contemporary jazz, while maintaining his own musical voice. Within smooth jazz, his guitar playing and voice have both proven to be popular and marketable. Benson is known as a not only a prominent lead guitar player, but also as one of the best rhythm guitarists which is supportive to soloists in a jazz format. George Benson can also sing tenor with similar to those of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, and it is his voice that has proven more marketable to the public than his guitar. Benson is the guitar-playing equivalent of Nat King Cole. Benson continues to have guitar and vocal centered chart-topping hits and regularly performs at jazz festivals around the world. .

Kenny G is one of the successful instrumentalists that play pop, R&B, and jazz charts in the 1980s and 1990s. However, has come to be primarily identified with smooth jazz. He started playing professionally at the age of 17 and released his debut album in 1982. His brilliant and pure sound put a lot of emotions in his solos and attracts the audience attention around the world. Kenny G also won a Grammy Award in 1994 for "Best Instrumental Composition" and held the world record for the longest sustained note on a saxophone.

Chris Botti is best known as contemporary jazz performer. Chris would be listed as "smooth jazz" due to his pure sound and easy listening, though he does play exclusively smooth jazz. He studied at Indiana University under notable jazz educator, David Baker. After Chris's studies, he moved to New York where he worked with saxophonist George Coleman and trumpet Woody Shaw. In 1990, he was asked to join Paul Simon's band where he remained for five years. In 1995 during the height of smooth jazz's popularity, he recorded his first solo album, "First Wish". Today, he continues to actively play in variety of genres and collaborate with great artists around the world.

Fourplay is an all-star smooth jazz group that consists of four players, Bob James (keyboardist), Lee Ritenour (guitarist and left the band), Nathan East (bassist), and Harvey Mason (drummer). The group was formed in 1991 as a smooth jazz ensemble and have 14 best-selling albums with the Warner Bros. Their group sound has continued to be a definitively smooth and easy listening aesthetic. The group is still active, especially during the holiday season. and all play the quartet's increasingly smooth style today.

Bob James is a best-selling, Grammy-winning composer, arranger, producer, and artist. His music holds genres from bop to pop, from classical to R&B, and elegant melodies with rich harmonies and multiple textures. He is also known as co-founding the group, Fourplay in 1990s. In his 21st century achievements, he would offer his compositions in showcase performance featuring Fourplay, a quintet of Chinese conservatory students that play traditional folk instruments, and a DJ.

Critical and public reception
Despite varied opinions from the public and critics alike, there are several major awards for smooth jazz musicians, often under the title of “Contemporary Jazz”. The Oasis Contemporary Jazz Awards were awarded from 2000-2003 and included a variety of categories similar to the Grammy Awards. Smooth jazz artists are most often found as nominees and winners of the Grammy category of “Best Contemporary Jazz Album”. It was awarded from 1992-2011. However, in recent years, it is difficult to definitively label most award-winning jazz artists and their albums with only one style due to the wide breadth of styles they often draw from on their albums.

There is a large difference in production process between smooth jazz and straight-ahead jazz. Straight-ahead jazz relies on active collaboration of simultaneous recording, while smooth jazz often pre-records the backing tracks before the soloist arrives. Critics of smooth jazz have cited this absence of interaction, a critical element of jazz, as evidence that smooth jazz is not a true jazz sub-genre. Kenny G in particular is often criticized by both jazz and fusion fans, and some musicians, while having become a huge commercial success. 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".

The decline in popularity of the smooth jazz format has been blamed on a variety of factors, including lack of exposing new music, cover versions of pop songs, lack of revenue and the genre not being reliable during the current economic crisis. Most smooth jazz musicians of the 1990's and 2000's relied heavily on radio airtime and royalties to sustain their careers. The rise of online streaming services, such as Spotify, has greatly changed the landscape for all recording musicians, especially smooth jazz. Since these streaming services pay significantly less in commissions than traditional radio stations, the way one generates a career must adapt to changing musical listening trends. Many people also feel that the smooth jazz interpretation has gone too far from its roots in contemporary jazz and new-age music, with R&B artists such as Beyoncé Knowles and Aretha Franklin. "'Time to stop complaining about it not being the way it used to be ... and start embracing the way it is and the way it's going to be in the future ... whatever that may be! Hello, Tomorrow.' - Dave Koz"Smooth jazz is still an active part of the Jazz Festival scene. Artists such as Chris Botti, Gregory Porter, and George Benson are still often a part of the lineup. Each edition of Smooth Jazz News highlights important smooth jazz events around the US in their “Smooth Jazz Alive! Concerts and Festivals” section. Smooth Jazz News was founded in 1999 and continues to be actively published. Although the smooth jazz radio appeal has declined in recent years, live performances are still active parts of the American jazz performance landscape.

Derivatives
A recent development is urban jazz, which incorporates aspects of hip-hop. This musical style is aimed at audiences who would normally listen to radio stations that would play a mix of hip-hop and R&B. Among the musicians who frequently perform urban jazz are Dave Koz, Boney James, Paul Jackson Jr., Nick Colionne, Vincent Ingala, Bobby Perry, Urban Jazz Coalition, Streetwize, and Tha' Hot Club. In addition, it involves the fusion of smooth jazz, and presented as "chill". New York's WQCD integrated "chill" into its format in 2004, and DJ Rafe Gomez emphasized the playlists that blended tracks from both genres, selections from the 70s jazz fusion and Latin jazz, 80s jazz-funk, 90s acid jazz , and contemporary club jazz genres.

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