Knowra Smooth jazz Smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a contemporary jazz-related genre known for polished production, melodic instrumental solos, and accessible grooves, often shaped for radio play.
Jazz : A musical tradition centered on improvisation, distinctive rhythmic feel, and interaction among performers. Smooth jazz retains jazz phrasing and soloing while softening some of the tradition’s rhythmic and harmonic edge.
Saxophone : A single-reed woodwind instrument commonly used in jazz and popular music. Its sustained, expressive tone became a signature lead sound in smooth jazz.
Kenny G : An American saxophonist whose bestselling recordings brought smooth jazz to a broad audience. His 1980s success made the genre highly visible in popular culture.
Smooth jazz radio : Radio programming devoted to smooth jazz and closely related instrumental music. Dedicated stations helped define the genre’s audience and recurring sound.
Bebop : A modern jazz style marked by fast tempos, intricate harmony, and virtuosic improvisation. Bebop foregrounds harmonic complexity and improvisational intensity more than smooth jazz does.
Jazz fusion : A style blending jazz improvisation with rock, funk, or other popular-music elements. Smooth jazz grew partly from fusion’s electric instruments and crossover approach.
Electric guitar : A guitar that produces sound through electromagnetic pickups and amplification. Clean, sustained electric-guitar solos provide an alternative to saxophone leads.
George Benson : An American guitarist and singer known for jazz improvisation and crossover popular recordings. His late-1970s recordings helped establish a polished jazz-pop approach that preceded smooth jazz’s peak.
The Weather Channel : An American television network focused on weather forecasts and related programming. Its local forecast segments became associated with smooth jazz through frequent instrumental music use.
Hard bop : A jazz style combining bebop language with blues, gospel, and rhythm-and-blues influences. Its forceful rhythms and blues emphasis contrast with smooth jazz’s subdued presentation.
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