Buddy use to say he listened to horn players well I can tell you this could make a difference in your playing. A non traditional steel approach to music, single notes with lots of soul.

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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording

I once read that Carlton himself was less-than delighted with some of his own recordings, dismissing them as 'happy jazz' ( ), but I find that I learn so much about progressions that had not occurred to me before. Our local 'SJ' station sometimes pushes the envelope a bit and includes some blatant 'pop', but it's still infinitely preferable to any other music stations in our area.

107.1 represents a free music lesson for me...

RR

I guess that's where the "smooth jazz" category of Klugh and others of his era comes from. To my generation, if it "ain't" improvised...it ain't jazz....even if it is smooth and pleasant to listen to.

It sure beats alot of other stuff on the radio though. IMHO.

I've played a few SJ festivals around here lately, and the steel guitar goes over really well!

[This message was edited by Rick Schmidt on 12 October 2006 at 09:47 AM.]

If you want to hear "real" jazz then you have to search for it either live or on the radio.

It is, however, of interest to me because of the level of musicianship; there's still a great deal left for me to learn, and I'm always hearing stuff that gets me thinking.

I'd have to agree that the essence of jazz is absent is there's too much 'advance planning'....

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Mullen RP, Webb 6-14E, Peavey NV112, Hilton volume.

I still like alot of the older stuff, but most of the new stuff is full of fluff. I mostly listen to our local Jazz station WBGO-FM who play more straight ahead Jazz. They can be heard on the web at:
www.wbgo.org

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Regards, Craig

[This message was edited by Craig Stock on 12 October 2006 at 06:20 PM.]

That joke is knee-walking hilarious.

I like most aspects of the umbrella genre jazz,
as long as it is good music, then it works for me.

Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, Crusaders, yep these cats were still making intelligent music,
from a funkier perspective,
versus hard swing, or bossa.

I agree with the watered down comments.
Then again Jobim is still considered jazz,
and he is watered down in contra-position
to
say, Anthony Braxton or Cecil Taylor,

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 13 October 2006 at 06:25 AM.]

I've enjoyed a lot of what I guess is 'pseudo jazz' (Ritenour, Klugh, Carlton, Benson et al) - 'intelligent music' is a satisfactory tag for it all, and it's a darn sight better than anything on country music radio!

Try copying Ritnour some afternoon.
His limited pressing, direct to disc (LP) back in the 80's, was killer stuff.

Live, one take.. for the WHOLE album side.

One is "Sugarloaf Express" JVC Direct Disc, the other is "Friendship", also JVC DD.

Each side played straight through, no stopping or remixing.

Lee's newest CD reunites alot of the same guys and is very excellent. It is titled "overtime".

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Regards, Craig

Just my opinion and you know what they say about those!

[This message was edited by Henry Nagle on 17 October 2006 at 11:35 PM.]

the Crusaders, Brecker Brothers, Dave Sanborn, Yellow Jackets and Spyro Gyra.

The use of more modern rhythmic feels,
and yet still inteligent harmonizations,
melodies and soloing.

Kenny G. is just not in the same plane.
He is an offshoot of the Tijuana Brass, Acker Bilk 60's pop jazz,
tweening the real new orleans (or spanish) with pop music.

Now some Acker Bilk is pretty good,
and some is purest drivel...
Some Herb Alpert was cool and some boring...

-John

[This message was edited by John Steele on 16 October 2006 at 02:44 PM.]

great stuff!

I was listening to the new CD yesterday from the Dave Holland Quintet, called Critical Mass, which IMO is a really fine legit jazz album, and I was mentally contrasting it to the background of "smooth jazz" I heard at my chiropractor's office this morning while I was getting adjusted - and it sort of reminded of the difference between great music by for example, Buddy Miller, and the latest single from one of "Today's Hot Country" pretty boy acts.

And Jesse-your post was a classic!

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Mark

[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 16 October 2006 at 05:56 PM.]

I was a real fan of the LA Jazz scene back in the 80's and 70's, there was alot of really great music then, but it was commercialized and I tended to go back to earlier stuff and ended up listening to more straight ahead Jazz, did the same with Country.

I think there is garbage in any genre of music and great stuff too, you just have to weed it out and know where to look.

Labels stink, but that's how the Bidness works.

Check out the Crusaders last release 'Rural Renewal' about 4 years ago, excellent.

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Regards, Craig

quote:

---

All of the smooth jazz guys can play all types of traditional jazz because that's what you cut your teeth on in the beginning when learning to play.

---

Is this guy serious? I thought he was kidding in his first post, now I'm wondering.

Yep, we all practice every type of scale, mode, time sigs. etc. for years so that when we're good at trad jazz and can understand and play songs by Coltrane, THEN we can switch to playing cool, modern jazz with really fast pentatonic patterns and holding reeeeeeeeeeaaaaaallllllly long notes, like Kenny G. Oh but wait, that's too hard, I can't do it!

The old-school trad-jazz guys can't do simple melodies and fast pentatonics, but the new-school smooth jazz guys can play the heck out of trad jazz, Jesse? Yeah right.

Re. Kenny G, put me in Pat Metheny's camp, he know's what he's talking about and his playing backs it up.

[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 16 October 2006 at 10:04 PM.]