Smooth Jazz Anyone

[Scott W]

I'm getting old and my days of Pink Floyd,Hendrix etc. are pretty much over although I do give it a listen once in a great while.The last few years I've really started to like smooth jazz,There was a local station up till about a year ago(St.Paul/Mpls. area) but they changed their format so now I listen to Watercolors XM radio 71 that comes free with the satilite tv.I don't like everything that is played on this station but there are a few artists that I enjoy quite a bit so I'd like to ask for some recomendations for similar artists.Here is a list of some of my favorites.
Paul Hardcastle
Euge Groove
Pete Belasco
Soul Ballet
Stanley Clarke
Also I like some of the R&B artists
Natalie Cole
George Benson
Al Jarreau
Maysa Leak
XM radio is great for not having the commercials but most times the only way to know the artist and song title are to turn on the tv and check the guide.Any ideas would be appreciated.

[Luvin Da Blues]

If you like R&B check out

Clarence Carter
Joe Tex
Wilson Pickett
Ray Charles

then there is,

Otis Redding
Lou Rawls
Billy Preston
Otis Clay
Percy Sledge

and one of my favs..The soundtrack to the movie "The Commitments"

[bobsticks]

Check out Richard Elliott or Jeff Golub. Both play smooth stuff without drifting too far into elevator fare. Both give a healthy nod of respect to "old school" styles.

[Mr Peabody]

I'd suggest Marcus Miller, fabulous bass guitarist. He has an album on Telarc, M Squared. On the same label check out Pat Coil. I don't think you can go wrong with Bob James or most Crusaders albums. I also like Dave Grusin a lot. If you like the Fusion side of Stanley Clarke and want a bit of some spice I love Al Dimeola, one of the best guitarist of any genre, Jean Luc Ponty or Chic Corea, him, Clarke and Dimeola were in a group called Return To Forever that had some interesting albums. Herbie Hancock has some good stuff too but his career goes through a lot of phases so you may want to listen to some samples first to be sure it's your cup of tea. Most of these suggestions would not be consider "Smooth Jazz" but I think you would enjoy them. I did get turned on to Rick Braun, a trumpet player who got regular air play on Smooth Jazz stations. In the more traditional Jazz sound, acoustic with stand up bass, piano and sax, I like Scott Hamilton a great deal. Along the same with trumpet I'm a Roy Hargrove fan.

I don't have many Jazz vocalists, I can suggest Anita Baker who I enjoy. I think she is more considered R&B but quite a set of pipes.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Just picked this up at the local music shop.

Scott Colley ------ Architect of the Silent Moment

Smoooooooooth as butter. Check it out at CdUniverse.com

[salad 419]

The Crusaders are awesome. I listened to the Southern Comfort album quite a bit around the mid '90's. One guy at work pointed out that one of the tracks is used in a Beastie Boys loop.

If you're into the fusion style, Melvin Sparks is also an excellent guitar player. He ranges from traditional jazzy guitar to some pretty heavy funk rhythms, but is always a smooth player.

[Hyfi]

I spent several years stuck in the Smooth Jazz groove. here is a small list of some of my collection's artists.

Rippingtons
Special EFX
Dave Grusin
Don Grusin
David Benoit
Rick Braun
SpyroGyro
Craig Chaquico
Lee Rittenour

[Scott W]

I have heard of several of the artists mentioned and have listened to some so I'll try downloading some of the ones I have not heard before buying any CDs,It's real dissappointing to go buy a CD that has only 1 or 2 songs you know then get it home and find out those were the only one(s)on the disc that you like.I know some think (free) downloading is stealing (I don't)but I just want to hear the music before I buy it,I prefer the sound quality of a disc over an mp3 file anyway.Thanks again

[bobsticks]

Hey Scott,

Several of the artists mentioned have a Latin flavor. If you find that kind of thing to your liking another one to check out would be Bob Baldwin's Brazil Chill.






...or you could just go to the source and investigate a little World Music. Cesaria Evoria or Ibrahim Ferrar come to mind.

Welcome to the forum.

[flippo]

My favorites for smooth jazz is anything by Pat Metheny Group and a group called Flim and the BB's. Flim and the BB's is just a fun group to listen to and their cd's are excellenty recorded. Give them a try I think you will like!

[3-LockBox]

Bob Berg - Short Stories
Craig Chaquico
Harry Connick Jr - Lofte's Roach Suffle
Elaine Elias - Cross Currents
Bob James - Restless & Straight Up (his trio project)
Peter Erskine - Motion Poet
Sting - Nothng Like The Sun
Donald ***en - The Nightfly
Candy Dulfer
Dave Brubeck - Time Out
Miles Davis - Kinda Blue
Bill Bruford
Boney James - Sweet Thing
And any Steely Dan album from Aja on...

Both the Bob James albums I mentioned aabove are superb in content and sound quality, but Bob loses me with his other stuff - too GRPish.

Depending on how much you like the saxaphone, you may only want to buy one jazz/sax album at a time. I find that owning Boney James, Bob Berg and Candy Dulfer is as much jazz/sax as I can handle for some time to come.

Don't let Elaine Elias' sultry, sexy look fool you, she is a great jazz pianist.

Sting's Nothing Like The Sun was promoted as a pop album but it remains one of my favorite listens, as a jazz album.

And for a real stretch, asked someone to make you a comp of King Crimson's jazzier moments (oh, they're there). Songs like Eyes Wide Open, One Time, Walking On Air, Matte Kudasai, Discipline, maybe a couple of others that elude me at the moment.

Actually, smooth jazz is whatever you want it to be.

[Mr Peabody]

3LB I know what you are saying but "Smooth Jazz" is the label given to a certain type of Jazz the radio thought they could commercialize. Our station was very short lived. I like Jazz but the stuff they call "Smooth Jazz" I can't handle much of that. Most of it was musicians playing with a beat machine behind them and the melody was very repetitive. That is a very general statement and some good stuff did get mixed in there, like Rick Braun and others.

[bobsticks]

Sting's Nothing Like The Sun was promoted as a pop album but it remains one of my favorite listens, as a jazz album. .

I've maintained this heretical opinion for some time. You get a greenie for that one, sir.


EDIT: When I'm reloaded. Not that you care that much...

[blackraven]

For Blues

Mighty Sam McClain
Mighty Joe Young
Buddy Guy
John Lee Hooker
Debbie Davies
Tab Benoit and Louisiana Leroux
Junior Wells
Ray Charles
Wilson Pickett
BB King!

For Jazz all the artists previously named in this thread
Herbie Hancock- I just bought his new album- RIVER the joni letters, its excellent
Everette Harp
Diana Krall
Etta James
Ella Fitzgerald
Joe Sample
Michael Hedges
Earl Klugh
Larry Carlton
Al Dimeola

[3-LockBox]

3LB I know what you are saying but "Smooth Jazz" is the label given to a certain type of Jazz the radio thought they could commercialize. Our station was very short lived.

Oh, I get it. I listen to a smooth jazz station out of Seattle every now and then, but at least they mix in a lot of classical jazz with it, not to mention some decent adult contemporary. But I can only listen to it in spurts, maybe once a year, just like classical and symphony music.

[Scott W]

Bob Berg - Short Stories
Craig Chaquico
Harry Connick Jr - Lofte's Roach Suffle
Elaine Elias - Cross Currents
Bob James - Restless & Straight Up (his trio project)
Peter Erskine - Motion Poet
Sting - Nothng Like The Sun
Donald ***en - The Nightfly
Candy Dulfer
Dave Brubeck - Time Out
Miles Davis - Kinda Blue
Bill Bruford
Boney James - Sweet Thing
And any Steely Dan album from Aja on...

Both the Bob James albums I mentioned aabove are superb in content and sound quality, but Bob loses me with his other stuff - too GRPish.

Depending on how much you like the saxaphone, you may only want to buy one jazz/sax album at a time. I find that owning Boney James, Bob Berg and Candy Dulfer is as much jazz/sax as I can handle for some time to come.

Don't let Elaine Elias' sultry, sexy look fool you, she is a great jazz pianist.

Sting's Nothing Like The Sun was promoted as a pop album but it remains one of my favorite listens, as a jazz album.

And for a real stretch, asked someone to make you a comp of King Crimson's jazzier moments (oh, they're there). Songs like Eyes Wide Open, One Time, Walking On Air, Matte Kudasai, Discipline, maybe a couple of others that elude me at the moment.

Actually, smooth jazz is whatever you want it to be.

I've been a Steely Dan fan for years(Gaucho is my favorite) Now that I think of it I have some older jazz on LP like Jeff Lorber,Weather Report, and I believe som King Crimson,I had forgotten about those untill just now when you mentioned KC,I bought a whole box,maybe 30-40 LPs quite a few years back at a garage sale for something like $5,Guess I never got around to putting them on the TT,Gonna have to check them out real soon

[Hyfi]

Bob Berg - Short Stories
Craig Chaquico
Harry Connick Jr - Lofte's Roach Suffle
Elaine Elias - Cross Currents
Bob James - Restless & Straight Up (his trio project)
Peter Erskine - Motion Poet
Sting - Nothng Like The Sun
Donald ***en - The Nightfly
Candy Dulfer
Dave Brubeck - Time Out
Miles Davis - Kinda Blue
Bill Bruford
Boney James - Sweet Thing
And any Steely Dan album from Aja on...

Both the Bob James albums I mentioned aabove are superb in content and sound quality, but Bob loses me with his other stuff - too GRPish.

Depending on how much you like the saxaphone, you may only want to buy one jazz/sax album at a time. I find that owning Boney James, Bob Berg and Candy Dulfer is as much jazz/sax as I can handle for some time to come.

Don't let Elaine Elias' sultry, sexy look fool you, she is a great jazz pianist.

Sting's Nothing Like The Sun was promoted as a pop album but it remains one of my favorite listens, as a jazz album.

And for a real stretch, asked someone to make you a comp of King Crimson's jazzier moments (oh, they're there). Songs like Eyes Wide Open, One Time, Walking On Air, Matte Kudasai, Discipline, maybe a couple of others that elude me at the moment.

Actually, smooth jazz is whatever you want it to be.

Never really considered King Crimson or Bruford "Smooth Jazz ". Jazz, yes but I will try your suggestions for the smooth part.

Bruford does have a few jazz disks with the group Earthworks, but thats a stretch for smooth also.

[3-LockBox]

Bruford does have a few jazz disks with the group Earthworks, but thats a stretch for smooth also.

Well, its not smooth jazz in the GRP sense of the word, but it isn't dense or anything like that.

[jim goulding]

I heard a track from this on Jazz FM the other day and am listening to samples as I type. I'm buying this. Thomas Marriott- Both Sides Of The Fence. Nice ensemble with a tasty drummer, vibraphone, bass, piano. Just hip enough to get you to second base. TM plays the flugelhorn. Nice improviser.

[Paul W.]

Hi Scott. Since you like Stanley Clarke, check out Marcus Miller, too. You mentioned George Benson, so Garrison Fewell is worth a try, although he is not part of the "smooth" jazz thing, strictly speaking.

[ForeverAutumn]

Hi Scott. Since you like Stanley Clarke, check out Marcus Miller, too. You mentioned George Benson, so Garrison Fewell is worth a try, although he is not part of the "smooth" jazz thing, strictly speaking.

Hi Paul! Welcome to RR.

[jasn]

Check out Jeff Beck at Clapton's Crossroads show last summer. Joining him on bass is 22-YO Aussie phenom Tal Wilkenfeld. If you manage to take you eyes off her notice how stunned Beck is at her playing.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Thanks for that video jasn. Good to see Jeff Beck's still kickin' it. I couldn't play it loud enough here at work to hear the young gal's base playing, but it must have been a real thrill for her to be onstage with a master at his craft. Good stuff.

[jasn]

Rich...

[Rich-n-Texas]

Well, I'll put in a purchase request but I'm not promising anything. A lot of belt tightening right now.