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A-ha! Have we finally arrived at the end of the era of smooth jazz, that horribly-named type of music that consistently conflated "real" jazz with "fake" jazz?

Born in focus groups conducted in windowless conference rooms, named by a radio station consultant, derided by critics, smooth jazz vanished from Washington's FM radio dial as the month began. It was 14 years old.

This tidbit is hard to believe, though:

It was a listener who uttered the phrase that a consultant used to sum up this fusion of instrumental music styles. At a focus group held in Chicago by Broadcast Architecture, the firm that first sold radio stations on the new format in the early 1990s, a woman who was asked to describe the songs being tested blurted out "smooth jazz."

It seems next to impossible to trace the origin of the marketed name for this Kenny-G-kind of music to one woman in one focus group. But the Washington Post says it's true...hmmm...

The problem was never really with the type of music in this genre, though (which also included Spyro Gyra, some of George Benson, Bob James, Dave Koz, and even the father of this genre, Chuck Mangione and his hit, "Feels So Good," from 1977). The real issue was using the word "jazz." In fact, this music has nothing to do with jazz, which comes from the blues and Louis Armstrong through Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and into today's vibrant jazz community. [For a list of over 150 CDs from some of the giants of "real" jazz, visit our "CD Picks" page.]

New York's only "Smooth Jazz" station folded in February, too. Maybe if they had called it "Smooth Music," taking the jazz moniker out of the name, all would have been well. Just leave the jazz to Bird and Diz and Duke and Ella and all the "real" jazz giants. The world's a much better place that way...

Taking the Jazz from Smooth Jazz. Many years ago saxman Richard Elliot characterized his own music as Contemporary Instrumental Music. And he's right, it aint Jazz. During an 80's radio show (Rhodes Scholars) from Jazz Chronicles, the guy asked Joe Zawinul. " is it Jazz?", his reply, 'it's OUR jazz". My You Tube show @ insight tonight. Ian, Victoria, B.C.

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