Recommend a Smooth Jazz album

I think any Michael Franks album works, but my favorite is Passion Fruit.

 

There's mellow jazz from the giants of the genre (e.g. Idle Moments, In A Silent Way, etc) and then there's smooth jazz (as typically understood by radio playlists) ... Bob James, Grover Washington, Spyro Gyra, Fourplay, etc. Quite a difference between the two terms, IMHO.

I'm not a fan of smooth jazz much, though I don't mind Breezin' by George Benson, especially the vocal track This Masquerade.

--Geoff

 

I always thought that "Smooth Jazz" was a marketing name for "Pop-Jazz." Then when the stations started, they started playing people like, Joan Armatrading, Sade, James Taylor, Randy Van Warmer, all of witch I liked but was not "Smooth Jazz."

I don't hate the artists, just the format. It's a radio thing.

 

Down To The Bone and Four80East are two current groups that I'd consider recommending as smooth jazz...

 

Beautiful sleeve!

 

Since the definition of "smooth jazz" is evolving, maybe there's somebody out there who thinks this is mellow and smooth?

 

I just picked up two other David Benoit CDs- Best Of, and Remembering Christmas (yes, I can remember Christmas in March!), both of which I'm enjoying quite a bit.

 

This seems like a distinction without a difference to me. Both sets could be described as mellow jazz.

Couldn't tell you, all I see is a box with IMG in it!

 

Being as how the OP routinely starts Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer threads, I'm sure he is wanting recommendations from the smooth jazz sub-genre and not jazz that might be considered smooth.

Use this chart and only pay attention to the albums listed with Smooth Jazz being the main genre.

https://rateyourmusic.com/customcha...=both&origin_countries=&limit=none&countries=

 

You assume too much. Actually, I've found several recommendations from both sides of the fence that I like.

I wasn't too specific in my OP for a reason- I wanted to get a broad range of suggestions from everyone so I could sample different "flavors".

 

Ugh. Need a better source!

It was this (and a joke):

 

That worked a charm (the original still shows IMG in a box).

Is Kenny G on that one???

 

First off, I hate "Smooth Jazz" and feel Creed Taylor was the instigator of a dark period of jazz, but there are 2 LP's that are guilty pleasures of mine:
Wes Montgomery - A Day in the Life - One of my favorite versions of the Beatles classic
Deodato - Prelude - the funkiest version of Also Sprach Zarathustra you will ever hear

 

I just picked up a Dave Koz Greatest Hits that I like.

 

This one's a beauty

 

Actually, if they have a smooth-jazz album, I'd say it's Gaucho, not Aja. (Which would explain why I'm not all that crazy about Gaucho.)

 

I've always thought of the early to mid 70's CTI jazz releases as the forerunners of smooth jazz and I continue to like that stuff today. I just picked up a Freddie Hubbard and a Hubert Laws title today both the original CD releases on CBS Associated

 

I wouldn't call it Smooth Jazz--more like Modern Jazz or Fusion--but I think Flim & The BB's deserve a mention here. A great example of early digital recording gone right, too.



I would submit that Tricycle is an audiophile must-have, and probably Big Notes, too. Not the whole picture, obviously, but here are some of their albums on the Dynamic Range Database. Big Notes is my personal favorite album, but to be honest, it's hard to go terribly wrong with anything from their discography.

 

The genre of smooth jazz came more out of the fusion era. Its a down tempo. Very melodic and simplistic. Has nothing to do with any bop based or styled jazz. Sonny Rollins doing a take on a popular song on a 50s classic album does not make it smooth jazz. It may be more "laid back" than hard bop but it aint smooth jazz.

 

Cool music to many. But thats fusion. A big influence on smooth jazz, which would be more melodic and borrow more from more comfortable pop influenced styles.

I always think of folks who want smooth jazz as someone who likes the jazz feel but arent boppers. I couldnt stand bop at one time and strayed more towards John Klemmer etc. Eventually I grew to like bop and some hard bop. Fusion not so much. Fusion is much more complex and isnt what smooth jazzers *usually* are into. Either way..that aint smooth jazz.

 

I'm creating a new genre called Schmoot Jass.
Once my pirate radio is up and running it will dominate the local airwaves and advertisers will want to sell their automobiles and corn syrup based products on my station.

 

I like Fourplay (who doesn't! wait, what?) and my man, Wayman Tisdale (RIP- there is a great documentary out there about Tisdale, his transition from NBA player to musician, his friendship with Toby Keith, and his battle with cancer).

Specific favorites- Fourplay- Elixir and Tisdale- Decisions

I guess I'm not really sure how I define smooth jazz vs regular jazz- but I know it when I hear it. It's not what I want to listen to all the time, but I do like it.

 

I got one Fourplay CD from the library since I have liked some things I've heard in the past from the players, but wasn't keen on it (too safe and radio ready). Maybe I didn't pick the right one.

 

While not perfect, this is a reasonable discussion about what is called "Smooth Jazz" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_jazz

 

I was here yesterday: http://www.yelp.com/biz/salvation-army-family-thrift-store-chicago
They had probably everything by Larry Carlton, Michael Franks and plenty of David Sanborn and many others to boot.
It was weird because it was kind of like a physical trip through the smoooth jazz catalog recommended here.