Smooth Jazz Rock
tagStarted 1976Peak 1979-1993Last big hit still active
Located in 1 route
The polished crossover wing: glossy studio production, immaculate session playing, warm Rhodes and chorused guitar, restrained tasteful solos over mellow rock-pop grooves. Jazz harmony smoothed into accessible, melodic instrumentals and silky vocal tracks. Sophisticated and laid-back, engineered for radio and listenability rather than improvisational risk.
History
Emerged from late-70s LA studio culture as Steely Dan's meticulous jazz-pop (Aja, 1977) and the Pat Metheny Group's lyrical fusion set the tone. Spyro Gyra's 'Morning Dance' (1979) and players like Lee Ritenour and George Benson built a crossover format that fed 80s-90s 'smooth jazz' radio with rock-rooted, pop-friendly instrumentals.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_jazz
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aja_(album)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyro_Gyra