Anteater's Muzak 101: Legitimizing Smooth Jazz For The Unwashed Masses

Anteater · 07-02-2012, 02:34 PM

INTRODUCTION

Greetings to MB newcomers, anonymous browers and longstanding members alike! I am Anteater, a lurkish forumer who happens to have been here off and on for the last couple of years. I get along swimmingly with most folks, although I'm not as active as I probably should be.

Now, to preface, some of you may be familiar with some of my past journals and threads (the AOR list, modern prog. rock list, the Anthill, etc.). Furthermore, I'm a fairly busy fellow in real life, fresh out of college and working on a variety of business prospects whilst still doing new album reviews and posts over at my resident blog The Widening Eye.

All that being said, I'll be updating this journal fairly regularly, so keep your eyes peeled!

MISSION STATEMENT

Contemporary jazz, often tagged as "smooth jazz" or "muzak" by the categorization powers that be, is a genre of music that emerged officially in the early 80's in the wake of changing commercial trends, brought on in a sense by jazz-fusion artists seeking radio play in an increasingly jazz-unfriendly world.

To put it broadly, its a more melody-oriented form of jazz-fusion with that incorporates pop, funk, electronic, world music and even New Age/ambient influences. To put it another way, its a genre of jazz that has changed, evolved and like most forms of music has been watered down in the commercial spectrum since the mid 90's to the point of irrelevancy.

The format for my journal is going to be pretty straightforward. I'll be reviewing, analyzing and introducing readers to the cream of the crop in this underrated genre from the 70's through the present day, with an occasional post about some tangential subject such as the state of modern smooth jazz radio, changing trends and cultural analysis.

CONCLUSION

So yes, for better or for worse (depending on how open minded you are), this is a muzak journal for those who might want to explore the genre or pick up gems they might have overshot in their own searches. Bon apetit!