Why Doesn't Contemporary Jazz Get Any Respect?


I am a huge fan of Peter White,Kirk Whalum,Dave Koz,Warren Hill,etc.I have never understood why this flavor of music gets no respect.Not only is it musically appealing,but in most cases its very well recorded.Any comparisons to old jazz(Miles Davis etc.) are ludicrous.Its like comparing apples and oranges.Can anyone shed some light on this?Any contemporary(smooth)Jazz out there?I would love to hear from you. Thanks John
Ag insider logo xs@2xkrelldog
I dislike most of the smooth jazz I have heard because it has zero emotional content. Great chops, perhaps, but no feeling. Thus, in my mind, it is indeed elevator music. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Drubin- Zero emotional content? That is ironic because I have tried and tried to listen to Miles Davis,John Coltrane,and Dave Brubeck and its the most irritating sound I have ever heard.While I know its great music,I can't listen for more than 5 minutes.I guess thats the beauty of music,it comes in all different flavors.I have a vast collection of music,and I can honestly say some of my best "smooth jazz" is the most emotionally involving music I own.I guess I get a little defensive when something near and dear to me is being picked on. Peace- JM
I agree with you krelldog.I love smooth jazz it has a warm soothing feeling.IT is not in your face.I spend my off days shopping for this type of music and only find specialty discs comprised of numerous artists.No Reference Recordings.
It's the old music-as-art vs. music-as-product argument.

For me the "irritating" nature of true jazz (and all artistic music!) is communication direct from the hearts and souls of the musicians, as opposed to the drab dullness of most smooth jazz sonic wallpaper.

Good musicianship is not enough. It takes passion to transcend music to the level of art.

Let the flames begin!
First of all the statement that smooth jazz musicians are some of the best musician in the world is completely false and is an insult to those musicans who dedicate their lives to the art.

The word Jazz in smooth jazz is completely misused. It is in fact instrumental pop. It is popular because, surprise it is pop music. It is shallow and lacks any real emotional depth, it has nothing to say. It's only goal is to offend no-one and thus it is played in elevators everywhere.

It does offend me as commercial garbage masquerading as music, pretending to be some form of Jazz (an art form)and that is why you find such harsh critisism. Like saying that celine Dion or Mariah Carey is a great jazz singer, that is the level of absurdity we are talking about.

I can not tell you how sad it makes me to know that people mistake this "smooth jazz" for Jazz or even to label it as music at all. To do that is to miss the incredible depth of expression that real music has to offer. Find music that shows you something, that tells a story, that is made with passion, joy or pain and revel in it.

Leave the smooth jazz for the elevators and let som real music into your life.