What's Wrong With Smooth Jazz

[Ptrallan01]

I've seen lots of negative comments about this music, wondering what's wrong with it. See lots of things included in the genre that I don't think belong there but I don't have a problem with it. Just wondering why it seems to be so disliked by so many people.

Thanks!

[neocaster]

Nothing wrong with smooth jazz. Just a matter of taste. Some people just state their opinions more emphatically than others.

[woodman]

agree with neo. to some, it's bland and soulless; to others it's relaxing and even inspiring.

[geddins]

Ditto Neo and Woodman's comments here.

It's a matter of taste.

It's like saying "what's wrong with (insert ANY genre) music?

Some folks will love it, some will hate it, many will be somewhere in between.

[J. Hayes]

that's over their technical ability to play. Face it, with a distorted guitar sound you can cover up a lot of shortcomings in your playing. Try a beautiful ballad or up tempo swing tune with some nice chord voicings and a nice "clear" tone and it requires more "soul" to actually play that way. I love rock, country, & blues styles but also love smooth jazz and pop and try best as I can to keep a few chops in that style. Luckily my every Saturday gig is with a Pennsylvania Italian rhythm guitar/vocalist who's into Dean Martin, The Ames Bros. etc. so we get to play some "easy listening" along with the more current stuff. Here might be a controversial statement I once heard but I tend to agree with........"Jimmy Hendrix couldn't even tune George Benson's Guitar!".................JH in Va.

[octatonic]

Nothing *wrong* with it per se, but I'd rather be at a biker rally in a dress than listen to it.
Definitely bland and soulless to me.. and a bit 'ginger beer'.

[Robert H.]

It's the "Smooth" that can make Smooth Jazz Muzak.

[rand z]

matter of taste, but imho, it lack nuance and REAL emotional content.

it's a little like white bread or vanilla ice cream... it wont offend anyone.

imho.

rand z tropicalsoul.net

[GoldieLocks]

I guess the problem is figuring out exactly what SMOOTH jazz is:

I love Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton, Jeff Golub, George Benson, John Pizzarelli. They're all smooth jazz at times.

I think Kenny G ruined it for everyone. Although his C.D.'s are great for dinner music.

[TheGoodTexan]

xx

[octatonic]

Originally Posted by GoldieLocks

I think Kenny G ruined it for everyone. Although his C.D.'s are great for dinner music.

... if you're dining with Satan and all his little wizards in a fiery pit of eternal torment.

I'm just saying....

[Durtdog]

What's wrong with Smooth Jazz?

Just 2 things:
-the smooth part
-the jazz part

Other than that, I love it.

[geddins]

Originally Posted by J. Hayes

that's over their technical ability to play. Face it, with a distorted guitar sound you can cover up a lot of shortcomings in your playing. Try a beautiful ballad or up tempo swing tune with some nice chord voicings and a nice "clear" tone and it requires more "soul" to actually play that way. I love rock, country, & blues styles but also love smooth jazz and pop and try best as I can to keep a few chops in that style. Luckily my every Saturday gig is with a Pennsylvania Italian rhythm guitar/vocalist who's into Dean Martin, The Ames Bros. etc. so we get to play some "easy listening" along with the more current stuff. Here might be a controversial statement I once heard but I tend to agree with........"Jimmy Hendrix couldn't even tune George Benson's Guitar!".................JH in Va.

I'm glad you love smooth jazz..... But PLEASE don't make statements such as " a lot of people don't like music that's over their technical ability to play". It makes you sound elitist, egotistical and snobbish...and I'm sure none of those apply.

[winny pooh]

ZZZZZZZZZZZ ?#! sorry can you repeat that again? I was falling asleep....

[boneyguy]

From a listener's point of view I just think it's too sugar sweet. It's 'elevator music'. It should be acknowledged of course that some of the best studio cats recorded a lot of that elevator music. .

From a jazz musician's point of view here's a quote from the jazz guitarist John Abercrombie.

"It makes me angry when people say they like jazz, and they're talking about that stuff instead of Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, etc. There are jazz elements in that music, and even when you hear someone like Kenny G play you will hear phrases and sounds that are reminiscent of jazz. But there's little connection to the real tradition, and the compositions are typically shallow and pablum oriented.

I hate to sound like an old curmudgeon, but I still think that jazz has to have some relationship to the tradition it started in, and I find that smooth jazz does a disservice to jazz. Call it easy listening , or something else, but don't call it jazz."

[roadkillbill]

It's like hearing the Ray Conniff singers doing Beatles songs...pleasant for some, but not the real thing...

[petebradt]

Originally Posted by geddins

I'm glad you love smooth jazz..... But PLEASE don't make statements such as " a lot of people don't like music that's over their technical ability to play". It makes you sound elitist, egotistical and snobbish...and I'm sure none of those apply.

Not to mention it's an offshoot of "yer jest jellus," the lamest rejoinder on the interweb.

I detest metal shredding, and I can't do it, but I'm not envious of those who do it. Disdainful, yeah, call it a fault on my part but it sure as hell isn't envy. (yes it's ENVY, not jealousy...if you (not YOU, Geddins, the generic you) don't know the difference, www.merriam-webster.com is your friend).

[neocaster]

As always, take what you can use, leave the rest.

[Tim Armstrong]

Life is too short to listen to music that bores me.

Cheers, Tim

[BakersMan]

The dentist's office killed it for me. No fault of the music.

[Coffeemutt]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

Life is too short to listen to music that bores me.

Cheers, Tim

True for me, also. The main reason I dig jazz is because it challenges me as a listener.

Kenny G doesn't do it for me.

[Paul in Colorado]

It's like jazz, only they've sanded off the rough edges to make it smooth and unoffensive. And the rough edges are what makes music vital. If there's no sex and heroin involved, it's probably not jazz.

[vjf1968]

Originally Posted by Ptrallan01

I've seen lots of negative comments about this music, wondering what's wrong with it. See lots of things included in the genre that I don't think belong there but I don't have a problem with it. Just wondering why it seems to be so disliked by so many people.

Thanks!

It sounds like music you would hear in a porno movie or the denitst's office.

[emu!]

I'm not sure what Smooth Jazz is, what it sounds like, or whether I have ever heard it. But just the name "Smooth Jazz" gives me the creeps.

[harry the filter]

I'll defer to Truman Capote: "That's not writing; that's typing."

[dhdfoster]

I don't like smooth jazz because it bores me. The melodies are trite and it's just too, well "smooth".

That "technical ability" comment is the worst. I actually like a lot of music that's beyond my ability. In fact, the jazz that I do like is way beyond my ability.

I don't base my likes and dislikes on my ability to play them.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by rand z

it's a little like white bread or vanilla ice cream... it wont offend anyone.

Do I count?...

[Dave W]

Smooth jazz is no worse than any other type of jazz, and certainly better than fusion.

I hate all of it.

[markw51]

I like smooth jazz but I think the reason a number of radio stations that carried that format are now dropping it is because they have strayed too far from smooth jazz. Much of what they were playing was not smooth and it was not jazz. If you say you play smooth jazz, you should play smooth jazz - not old Motown hits and Sting, Stevie Wonder and the list goes on. They were trying to attract a broader audience but all they end up doing is alienating their audience.

[Dan German]

Originally Posted by octatonic

... if you're dining with Satan and all his little wizards in a fiery pit of eternal torment.

I'm just saying....

Beat me to that one......

Originally Posted by boneyguy

I hate to sound like an old curmudgeon, but I still think that jazz has to have some relationship to the tradition it started in, and I find that smooth jazz does a disservice to jazz. Call it easy listening , or something else, but don't call it jazz."[/i]

I was going to enjoy the fireworks and not join in this thread, since anything I have to say will be opinionated and snarky and present further confirmation of my well-established curmudgeonliness, but while I was reading, iTunes (set on shuffle) popped up I Agree With Pat Metheny by Richard Thompson. I s**t you not! Never argue with signs from the celestial, I always say.

I would not say there was something wrong with smooth jazz, but I would say that it holds no appeal for me, and that I actively avoid it. I have a friend who is an accomplished jazz bassist, and has worked for decades (if only part-time) in a variety of bands. He currently supplements his day job by playing "smooth jazz." He doesn't like it, but it pays some bills. As far as the comment about Jimi Hendrix not being up to tuning George Benson's guitar, I seriously doubt that that is a quote from Mr. Benson. Other guitarists generally respect Jimi's skill and talent, even if his music was not their bag. As far as a distorted guitar sound covering up shortcomings, well, maybe I haven't good a good enough distortion pedal, 'cuz my shortcomings shine through whether I'm playing Like A Hurricane or Lady Be Good.

[Big Tony]

Some folks like "smooth" jazz. That's OK.

Personally, I don't like to have the "corners" shaved off. I like my jazz with some rhythmic excitement, and some rough personality. That's not élitist, that's liking expression, and guts. I also like lots of other music, most of it with an emphasis on rhythm and personality, though. Otherwise, it can get a little bland, IMO...

/ Tony

[tuuur]

Originally Posted by Durtdog

What's wrong with Smooth Jazz?

Just 2 things:
-the smooth part
-the jazz part

Other than that, I love it.

Exactly my opinion.

To each his/her own, and possibly it is technically sound music; but it doesn't do anything for me other than make me cringe and reach for the "off" button.

[Frank B]

If you like Jazz and you feel like it being smooth, well one might want to try a little harder & get a Bill Evans Trio or a Toots Thielemans album.
It's smooth, yet... it's still "real" Jazz. And some darn good jazz might I add.
"You must believe in spring" from Mr BIll Evans is a masterpiece.

[fate]

George Benson and Pat Metheny are just chillin', watchin' the sun set, in
their corner of the world, with ALL of the best life has to offer. And smooth to
them is a way of life. And for the life of me, with all his greatness, I can't
imagine a Roy Buchanan platter spinnin' on their turntable.

[casterway]

Smooth Jazz is the Barry Manilow, and Carpenters of the Jazz world. Nothing wrong with it you like that sort of thing.

[Sea Level]

Let's arrange for a TDPRI smooth jazz brunch! We can collect some money and hire Kenny G or John Tish(SP?) to perform to perform before a mad crowd of tele players. We can hold it at some truck stop along old Rte 66. I'm sure we would all get cleaned up and be on our best behavior. BTW, are there any notable smooth jazz tele players? I gotta say that I relate to the smooth jazz brand of music about as much as I do to opera. It is fine music and it has a loyal following, but I just do not ever even think about the genre, at least until now.

[Big Tony]

Answer #2:

Nothing!

If you don't like real jazz...

/ Tony

[beep.click]

Originally Posted by casterway

Smooth Jazz is the Barry Manilow, and Carpenters of the Jazz world.

I guess I'm going to start liking smooth jazz, real soon now (even though I don't quite know what it is, yet).

Reason I say that is, all through the 70s, I thought the Carpenters were crap, and I told anyone who would listen. Over and over and over. Same with jazz -- "buncha elitist pseudo-intellectual poseur musicians, playing music for other poseur musicians." Or, words to that effect.

Now, of course, I own a Carpenters box set, and I think Karen has one of the most amazing voices in the history of pop music, and I realize their arrangements and records were extraordinary examples of craftsmanship. Somehow, I just didn't get that, at first.

Sooooo.... if anyone knows where I could pick up a nice box set of "smooth jazz." With a side-order of crow....

[blacklinefish]

It has its place.

One of the things that I personally like in music is tension. Tension is found in the musical tonality, rhythm, texture, etc. An example of music that does not have much tension would be dance/trance/jungle/house type of music. The purpose is to keep a steady pace to dance to, and even if it is loud and fast, there is little tension. Smooth Jazz is not without tension, but it seems to have less than standard jazz and swing music.

...and Ray Conniff built a lot of tension into his orchestrations.

--gh

[Bernie]

Originally Posted by beep.click

...Karen has one of the most amazing voices in the history of pop music

Yes, I totally agree. I used to hide the fact that I was a closet Carpenters fan, but there's no denying KC's voice. I just kills me whenever I hear it.