Jazz your Lifes

Posts Tagged ‘Music’

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.
Actually, 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.”
What she was describing was a jazzlike sound without the jazz essential of improvisation, a melody-driven, generally instrumental set of songs played primarily on instruments used in jazz. But even that fungible definition fell apart as smooth jazz spread to about 200 radio stations, including Washington’s WJZW (105.9 FM), which switched to a 1960s-heavy rock oldies format. In recent years, smooth jazz came to mean not only saxmen Kenny G and Dave Koz but even singers Norah Jones, India.Arie and Sting.
Despite hoots and catcalls from fans of straight-ahead jazz and yawns from pop and rock lovers, smooth jazz was a rare kind of success — a genre of music created not so much by the artists and the record industry as by radio programmers who identified a style, found an audience and inspired musicians to make the product.
As far back as the 1970s, the jazz fusion movement’s lighter hits, from artists such as Bob James, George Benson and Spyro Gyra, won airplay not only on the handful of jazz stations around the country but on light rock and easy-listening stations. Chuck Mangione’s “Feels So Good” from 1977 was probably the first smooth jazz hit, even if the genre didn’t yet exist. Read the rest of this entry »

For over three decades, one name has been associated with jazz music and he is David Benoit. Ever since he began his music career back in 1977, the contemporary pianist and eminent jazz performer has released several memorable songs, including groundbreaking classics such as Freedom at Midnight, This Side Up and Every Step of the Way.
Freedom at Midnight, released in 1987, clinched the fifth best slot at the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz albums chart. This album has also been known to be David’s favorite to make as he quipped “everything came together.”
Take A Look Inside My Heart
Benoit released the album Artist’s Choice in 1998, an album which featured one of jazz’s most notable songs named Take A Look Inside My Heart. The many time Grammy nominee has released several albums since and has conducted, arranged and performed for musicians like Brian McKnight, Kenny Rankin, Russ Freeman and the Rippingtons, Patti Austin, Kenny Loggins, Dave Koz, David Lanz, Cece Winans, David Sanborn and David Pack. Read the rest of this entry »

Classical Music as Vocal Performance
Singing concertos, symphonies, and other instrumental music might seem at first like a gimmick, but this vocal ensemble provides both an enjoyable and light-hearted approach to old standards in the classical music repertoire. In fact, the unusual “instrumentation” causes the listener to pick out nuances that familiarity with the works may have downplayed before.
Imitating instruments with the voices is certainly not a new thing: when the American Federation of Musicians went on strike in 1942-1944, singers (and other “non-musicians”) were recruited to fill in the gap. From imitating instruments to providing vocal back-up, singers enabled record producers to keep turning out more music. Quite possibly this switch to instrumental imitation was aided by the earlier development of scat singing, a technique of wordless singing made famous by jazz musician Louis Armstrong. In classical music, wordless vocals emphasize long vowel sounds, but in scat singing, the syllables are full of soft consonants (such as “b” and “d”), imitating the up-tempo rhythms and slightly percussive timbre of the jazz band. Read the rest of this entry »

Create a Relaxed Atmosphere With Soft Song Styles
In today’s fast-paced world, easy listening music can be a source of relaxation. After a long, stressful day, a ballad or a soft jazzy song may help you unwind. The music of easy listening artists can also be used to create a romantic backdrop. Here are some ideas of performers, past and present, whose musical style will entertain, soothe and inspire.
The Crooner
Many male performers of the 1930s, 40s and 50s are often described as crooners. These artists were known for their rich tones and the ability to weave a spell with a romantic ballad or classic melody. Many crooners performed songs influenced by jazz, big band and swing music. Although crooning may not be one of the most popular styles of singing these days, there are some present-day artists who are doing their part to carry on the tradition.
Some famous crooners include:
• Frank Sinatra. The smooth sound of an Ol’ Blue Eyes tune is the perfect backdrop for a romantic evening. Sinatra first gained success in the 1940s during the swing era. He is known for ballads such as Strangers in the Night and standards such as I’ve Got You Under My Skin. Read the rest of this entry »