Kenny G?

[derek]

Kenny G. is pretty much the creator of smooth jazz I guess.

He's to blame.

I think it predates him quite a bit, though maybe not the name. We have had discussions in the past about how adult contemporary or easy listening music morphed into what we know as smooth jazz. Chuck Mangioni, Herb Alpert, Sergio Mendez and Brasil 66, and others brought us some pretty poppish instrumental music long before Mr. Gorelick ever put a horn in his mouth.

One of our regulars here pointed out during that discussion that smooth jazz took more of an R&B feel or turn than the adult contemporary stuff from a generation ago, and I think that is right.

[JorgeBarnet]

Not much to say, but Mr. G is still taking time of our lives making us think ..."to be or not to be.... jazz" Is interesting to know how much space (paper and electronically) magazines and critics devote to the theme "Is this jazz or is it not?" Perhaps We must remember there was a time that if you were not “black” you can not play jazz, some other times where if you were not American you can not play jazz....! Imagine Latin-Americans, Europeans and Asians playing jazz (????) Yeak! Imagine how disgusting it could be for them…
Well some where and some when, people and critics used to have some weird ways of thinking about Jazz (besides if Jazz and improvisation can be taught or not) ... Jazz is like PC in some sense.. Perhaps few remember when IBM put the PC on the market (besides Apple and Amiga and Atari and...) They did not were able to register thru the patent office they "great invention" and soon it become cloned by other companies from USA and outside USA... Have someone of this forum perhaps remember the term "100% (IBM) Compatible"... Many Computers had it stick on their surface... So will be some Jazz compatible label to stick in to our music? I personally love Jazz because of the Bebop lines, bending notes, grooves and harmonies... but there is some European music labelled and blessed as Jazz that does not have any or too much of my personal taste selection elements... Perhaps we must be open minded and not become Jazz’s Taliban?

[Drumbler]

Jazz is music, but not all music is jazz.

[Sailor]

Goofsus....best post yet.

[franco6719]

Not much to say, but Mr. G is still taking time of our lives making us think ..."to be or not to be.... jazz" Is interesting to know how much space (paper and electronically) magazines and critics devote to the theme "Is this jazz or is it not?" Perhaps We must remember there was a time that if you were not “black” you can not play jazz, some other times where if you were not American you can not play jazz....! Imagine Latin-Americans, Europeans and Asians playing jazz (????) Yeak! Imagine how disgusting it could be for them…
Well some where and some when, people and critics used to have some weird ways of thinking about Jazz (besides if Jazz and improvisation can be taught or not) ... Jazz is like PC in some sense.. Perhaps few remember when IBM put the PC on the market (besides Apple and Amiga and Atari and...) They did not were able to register thru the patent office they "great invention" and soon it become cloned by other companies from USA and outside USA... Have someone of this forum perhaps remember the term "100% (IBM) Compatible"... Many Computers had it stick on their surface... So will be some Jazz compatible label to stick in to our music? I personally love Jazz because of the Bebop lines, bending notes, grooves and harmonies... but there is some European music labelled and blessed as Jazz that does not have any or too much of my personal taste selection elements... Perhaps we must be open minded and not become Jazz’s Taliban?

I think you are confusing the people on this thread with the "neo-traditionalist" movement of Wynton Marsalis and his followers? Personally, I don't even care if "Kenny G." calls himself a "smooth jazz" musician. It's just that I don't like the man's music and I find his arrogance and pretentiousness offensive. His whole shtick is about making money by repeating formulaic and simplistic patterns that "dumb down" the audience in musical terms. He is an entertainer interested in making money. If that's what "smooth jazz" is about, then that it one type of jazz that I do not have much sympathy with.