Jazz in the 1980s: What in the heck was going on?
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- The 1980s were a transformative decade for jazz, a genre that had long been celebrated for its innovation and improvisation. What happened when the smooth sounds of Kenny G collided with the fiery artistry of Wynton Marsalis? How did the rise of digital technology and global influences reshape this quintessentially American art form?
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#jazz #1980jazz #smoothjazz #avantgarde #freejazz #jazzfusion
Grover ,Ronnie and Hubert Laws, Joe Sample,George Howard etc was who my Dad and Uncles listened and guided me as a youth
Grover Washington Jr is the father of smooth jazz without him there wouldn't be a Kenny g!
Grover was above the category of “smooth jazz”. It was more soul jazz or instrumental r&b. He deserves a much better fate than to lumped in with Kenny G.
Smooth jazz was basically instrumental R&B grooves. Grover Washington Jr. and Joe Sample kept things interesting. Kenny G was music for insomniacs! 😅😅
Don't forget the Lounge Lizards and John Zorn! Good video
Are you going to do something about jazz in the 1990s? When Charles Gayle, Ivo Perelman, David S. Ware and Ken Vandermark came along it was a very exciting time.
One thing about Smooth Jazz: it will NEVER progress from where it is, without sounding completely like another genre, and that's not progression.
In other words, we won't hear a progression from Louis Armstrong to John Coltrane or Ornette Coleman in Smooth Jazz.
And if it does ends up sounding more like R&B, Hip Hop, Adult Contemporary, or anything that isn't Traditional Jazz, Smooth Jazz will continue as is.
But, if it moves too closely to Traditional Jazz, it will die overnight, because most lovers of Smooth Jazz do not listen to Armstrong or Trane.
And if they do listen to Armstrong, they only listen to "What A Wonderful World." They won't listen to his Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings.
You know, there are listeners such as myself who enjoy listening to everything from Woody Shaw to Pieces of A Dream. I don’t discriminate based on genre, either I like a particular piece of music or I don’t.
@@wilfig you are correct. Smooth jazz is for people who want to sound erudite telling their friends they like jazz.
@@williemakeit2346 I did say "most," not ALL Smooth Jazz listeners. You, sir, are one of the RARE smooth listeners. Because if more smooth listeners were like you, the smooth radio stations would reflect that taste,...but alas, they do not. Those stations would rather play straight R&B, Adult Contemporary, or Yacht Rock before they gave Sonny Rollins or Joe Henderson a spin, along side the smooth format. The smooth station in my city USED to play traditional from time to time, but since the old DJs retired or passed away, they removed the traditional styles completely. That makes me wonder if the station was bought by a massive media company, and they no longer have the power to decide what to play. Because if you were to listen to this station for a few hours, you would hear the same tunes over, and over, and over again. Which tells me that even the smooth is struggling to get new listeners. And how will it get new listeners if it doesn't advance in some way? And it won't advance without sounding too much like the traditional, which could be its death...or maybe, just MAYBE... wake some slumbering ears up.
I like Najees albums.
Art Ensemble of Chicago and Pat Methany were my favorites.
Heres a way to tell how impactful Smooth Jazz (hate that name) really is: you could write a book (many have) on the real Jazz tunes that have become Standards. With Adult Contemporary (sounds better than that other label) you might be able to name four or five tunes that have become Standards.
Real nice! Thanks
A lot of smooth jazz isn't jazz, but it's of its time and enjoyable. Marsalis was a bad tempered fossil
Not sure about that. A lot of smooth jazz is not jazz because it's meant to be dentist reception room music. Meaning it was meant to be forgettable, disposable, ambient music not played to be noticed. Yes, most of it sounds of its time because it's not meant to be timeless. On the other hand, if you listen to Wynton's "Blues", from _Black Codes (From the Underground)_ , a record which is in the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress, you can't place it. It could have been made in the 1940s or tomorrow. Timeless.
Cool.
Thanks for sharing
Kenny G.......😂😂😂😂
Dont make me laugh.......
I don’t think it’s the fact that people put down smooth jazz because they don’t think it’s jazz. Once you try to pander so much to your audience, the record labels and you’re more concerned about fitting into a format and creating hits. It just takes away from the passion of the music. Also, not to say it doesn’t happen but try to think of the last time you listen to a smooth jazz song and you was really impressed by the artistry, it’s almost nonexistence.
Eighties were not great. The NY Giants won the Super, true.
But Reagan/Bush years were a shock to many.
Being a musician I disagree! Smooth Jazz is Jazz. It is a form that has progressed from the past. Instead of trying to put it down just accept it is not for you. Most musicians can accept different forms of music because they understand what, how the music was created. The writings, the handling of the instrument/s. Usually those who negatively run their mouths can't play a instrument! Like a sport fan, they can tell you how to do it but can't play the sport!???
Very well done! So surprised this 80's "jazz" movement history wasn't compiled earlier (or maybe I just missed it).
You could ask, once people like Barney Kessel moved away from the jazz of the 40's into the 50's and started making albums of show tunes, that dissipated his talent and others, what happened? Then musicians started coming out with their own tunes like Dave Liebman and Bruce Foreman, when listeners still wanted to hear bebop or beyond out of them..nobody listens to those 70's records. You had Miles Davis and Weather Report dominating the 70's and Herbie Hancock. But you go to a club and artists like Bruce Foreman, when he's not doing CowBop, he's doing straight ahead. My preference.
Ah yeah, the 80s! What a wonderful decade, not only for Jazz. Thanks for the video!
What is the name of the background track?
Most smooth jazz isn't jazz...its all groove oriented..that gets played out
Bassist Marcus miller was and still is a innovative Jazz pioneer pushing the boundaries of Jazz considering his composing and producing with Miles Davis and David Sanborn...Marcus played a critical role in Miles Davis 1980s career resurrection and David Sanborns overall career success
However Tutu is so arranged there's no Miles fire as there was all over Live Evil.
@sclogse1 Theres a about 15yr gap between those 2 albums one from 1986 and the other from 1971 Miles was significantly older and his recreational activities from his younger days caught up with him so in that regard yeah there was a lack of fire
Jazz fusion bands sounded great live but their albums were not so good. The best example is Spyro Gyra, wonderful live concerts but their albums were not so inspiring to listen to.
Smooth jazz makes me want to jam kebab skewers in my ears.
Same!
Smooth Jazz is all about the money. It's so sure of its ability to say so little despite being played so loud.
Every music is about money . Music is supposed to be listened to . Whatever makes a mind feel nice is what matters about music .
Music is about the LISTENER …. Not Self-Service of musicians just ‘getting off’ on themselves .
Surely when musicians do feel good about it they are playing the audience can feed off of that .
But music is about FEELINGS …. Reaching the innermost emotions.
WES MONTGOMERY still played so beautifully even when we went more ‘pop’ … because pop back then was still beautiful & moving .
Nothings wrongs with lush symphony strings arrangements . That’s still creative …
And requires skills , blended with a melodic musical soul .
SOUND IS EVERYTHING
PERCEPTION
MUSIC THAT HEALS THAT SOUL … BODY & SPIRIT 🙏🏽❤️🙏🏽
Play for Beauty not Ego …. Etc …
Sometimes more
Means less …. And less cna say more
There are wondrous things in life that don’t need an ‘acquired taste’
Being too ‘sophisticated’ can be misleading at times … like the tale of the EMPEROR’s BRAND NEW GARMENT …. (The ‘NAKED ‘ EMPEROR’S BRAND NEW GARMENT … etc … )
Like I rather drink fresh fruit juice than fermented wine 🍷.
Femented wine’s costing in the millions could still get me drunk … &/or cause me to lose my life with unhealthy results
Where a fresh organic fruit could save my life … taste way better to me than fermented wine 🍷 & alcohol 🍷 drinks
Every music is about money . Music is supposed to be listened to . Whatever makes a mind feel nice is what matters about music .
Music is about the LISTENER …. Not Self-Service of musicians just ‘getting off’ on themselves .
Surely when musicians do feel good about it they are playing the audience can feed off of that .
But music is about FEELINGS …. Reaching the innermost emotions.
WES MONTGOMERY still played so beautifully even when we went more ‘pop’ … because pop back then was still beautiful & moving .
Nothings wrongs with lush symphony strings arrangements . That’s still creative …
And requires skills , blended with a melodic musical soul .
SOUND IS EVERYTHING
PERCEPTION
MUSIC THAT HEALS THAT SOUL … BODY & SPIRIT 🙏🏽❤️🙏🏽
Play for Beauty not Ego …. Etc …
Sometimes more
Means less …. And less cna say more
There are wondrous things in life that don’t need an ‘acquired taste’
Being too ‘sophisticated’ can be misleading at times … like the tale of the EMPEROR’s BRAND NEW GARMENT …. (The ‘NAKED ‘ EMPEROR’S BRAND NEW GARMENT … etc … )
Like I rather drink fresh fruit juice than fermented wine 🍷.
Femented wine’s costing in the millions could still get me drunk … &/or cause me to lose my life with unhealthy results
Where a fresh organic fruit could save my life … taste way better to me than fermented wine 🍷 & alcohol 🍷 drinks
MILES DAVIS loved KENNY G’s “SONGBIRD “
I always enjoyed hearing that song come on pop radios stations … If was refreshing to hear … and nice Dream Scape
SOUND IS EVERYTHING
(Ask any Movie Score Music maker )
The emotions that are moved just by the type of the sound of music playing in the background of a movie
Even present day video clips showing up all over social media … the file of music playing affects the presentations perception
The background music one may hear at a point during a church service even … (when music may be more reflective … etc ..: )
SOUND IS EVERYTHING
Give The People What They Want, Always.........