Smooth jazz

Smooth jazz, otherwise known as a new cool jazz, is defined as a jazz style that is generally influenced by other musical sources like R&B, some forms of pop and a variety of funk music. It utilizes the conventional jazz instruments and employs massive degrees of improvisations. To date, smooth jazz has become a popular format and theme for radio. The jazz purists, such as the elite who support older jazz styles, argue that this genre is tasteless and over-commercialized. This style of jazz takes its roots from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Famous proponents such as Grover Washington Jr. helped make smooth jazz a formal and much applauded jazz style.

Smooth jazz is quite different from fusion jazz in the sense that is emphatic of melody. The melody is set to roll and was kept that way without having to emphasize improvisations in the performance. This made smooth jazz seem rather restrictive, and thus, was criticized as a parody of jazz since improvisation is an essential element. But smooth jazz never flinched with its surge of popularity. Most smooth jazz have watered-down tempos with a layering lead. Melody is created by soprano and tenor saxophones with a guitar melody close to it. Improvisations were not entirely ignored and were still an integral part of smooth jazz, but rather, they were leveled-down.

Once again, jazz created a new form of revolution which aims for the benefit of greater audience. Before smooth jazz came into the musical scene, people had to generally catch live jazz performances in clubs and other social lounges. The advent of smooth jazz gave way to the birth of jazz's radio format. This thus gave a new horizon to the proliferation of jazz culture. Radio broadcasts enabled the masses to stay tuned and listen in to this fast growing jazz style and earned a distinct popularity since it was no longer confined to those who are able to catch performances, which were usually the social elite. Jazz musicians were also able to draw inspirations from various pieces that are broadcasted. This in turn, further propagated smooth jazz.

The commercial jazz radio format continued to evolve under the name smooth jazz. This should bear no form of ambiguity; smooth jazz now literally refers to commercial radio. Smooth jazz created the foundation of trends on contemporary jazz styles. Through smooth jazz broadcasts, innovations in jazz music were possible in much faster rates and under a wider range of horizon.