Hey Mark:
That was a really good article--funny, at times, and bits of irony at
others.
When I was living in L.A., I did listen to KTWV (called "The Wave," back
then) for a time shortly after the format had been switched (it was a
long-standing rock station called KMET). Before its full conversion to
"Smooth Jazz," it was also a mixture of what's was known as "new age"
music. I don't have regrets in that sense, because I've found music from
the likes of George Winston and Andreas Vollenweider (sp?). There were
other good finds too, but I do agree that it started morphing into (and,
apparently, has now completed "assimilated" into) a Kenny G musical
universe.
(For the record, I was listening predominantly to other stations in
L.A.....KCRW, Mars 103.1, KROQ before Infinity assimilated it, etc.)
Actually, "Smooth Jazz" (and I must disagree that KTWV was the one that
started this format--they have, however, popularize it) is a
"whitewashed" version of a similar kind of flavor that has been done by
musicians by the likes of The Crusaders, The Isley Brothers, The
Blackbyrds, Kool and the Gang (before they became popular for their
disco-oriented tunes and ballads), El Chicano, Minnie Riperton, Willie
Bobo, Labelle, Weather Report, War, and a whole slew of such artists who
gave listeners fresh and innovative sounds. They help pushed the
envelope of R&B, soul, funk and jazz fusion sounds to deeper shades.
Later, those sounds would be embellished into a radio format known as
"The Quiet Storm" (a term invented, apparently, in D.C....but by no
means was the origin of such music).
When I was younger and living in Southern California, there was a
station in Glendale called KUTE 102 (pronounced "Cute 1-0-2"). It was a
very free-form station in terms of the types of funk and soul-influenced
music presented. Not only did the station played the "hits" by the
artists above and others, but they would also play more obscure tracks
and--often--in its original extended versions. No one decided to try and
cut it down to a three-minute version in order to keep selling
commercials (though it was a commercial radio station), and it developed
a personality that was real and that listeners embraced. I'm sure that
there were similar stations in major cities throughout the U.S., but
that's the one that I most identified with.
And with the music we on this list are all connected to now, many of the
artists we enjoy today will tell you that the music of "The Quiet Storm"
(for lack of an easier term to fit all the styles mentioned into) was
the real deal. They were very much influenced by Niecie, The Bird,
Miles, and many more. I doubt that they could even mention Kenny G or
John Tesh in the same breath. :-) Unfortuntely, many of them are stuck
in used bins at record stores. Fortunately, this means inspiration for
those lucky to find such lost music to introduce to a new listener, or
even a new audience.
It is so sad that the Smooth Jazz stations are (like most of the other
commercial stations here in the U.S.) are so eager to play it safe, that
they are not open to introduce, say, Mark De Clive-Lowe, Bugge
Wesseltoft, or Nathan Haines. Do they really think that their
demographics do not have the mental capacity to open themselves up? It
seems to me that by tuning into "Smooth Jazz" stations, that such people
are at least investigating other music that is out there. However good
the music may sound, though, they are only given a very limited
selection. Such stations, like other commercial stations, are trying to
be as risk-adverse as possible.
Are there any other listers old enough to remember those virgin days of
the 70's freshness?
> > "One common thread in the musicians of this format is that they
> > can't fake it," King
> > counters. "You can either play or you can't. There's no
> > distortion or fuzz tone on
> > guitars. It's pure. Over time, this music became a passion for
> > me. Summed up in one
> > word, it's 'quality.' "
Pure? Quality? Sanitized dilution is more like it. And I dare say that
anyone with techno-savvy can get their smooth jazz music played on the
air without the knowledge or skill of being able to play a single
instrument. I should know, because I know of several artists played on
KTWV that have done this (though the names escpae me now).
> > Which is maybe the thing I'm most afraid of. If I listen to
> > Smooth Jazz long enough,
> > I might begin to . . . like it. When I listen to King, I can't
> > help but think of the
> > Borg on "Star Trek," aliens who assimilate everything they
> > encounter. In fact, I can
> > almost hear King intoning the Borg mantra:
> >
> > "Resistance is futile."
God help us all on that one. :-)
V.
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