Any smooth jazz fans out there?

Getting back to the question about smooth jazz, about 20-25 years ago I really got into it the GRP label in particular with artists like Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenhour, Kevin Eubanks. I also have several albums by David Sanborne and Spyro Gyro both of whom I listen to occasionally. Eventually I found most of the music wanting, I couldn't connect to the factors that makes you want to come back for more. While I can certainly appreciate the technical abilities of all the above not to mention the merits of most of the recordings I never emotionally connected to the music. Maybe time for a revisit?

Thanks to all the posters who added to my quite limited knowledge of this genre, I'll be sure to check out some of the above I'm not familiar with.

I guess I need to revisit my twenty or so David Murray albums to examine his connection to "smooth jazz." A grand slam of '80s Black Saint full of originals & Ellington, Strayhorn, Coltrane, Alyer, etc., accompanied by the likes of Joe Chambers, Henry Threadgill, James Blood Ulmer, Don Pullen, Billy Higgins, Ed Blackwell, Lester Bowie, McCoy Tyner. Not to mention the early '90s with Shakill's Warrior, Fast Life, Black & Black, Special Quartet. Yes one loses interest later on, but in terms of productivity, diversity(with sidebars into theater and dance), longevity,and the company he kept, Murray's place in the canon is secure. You could make a stronger case for Chet Baker than for David Murray in connection to smooth jazz.

Hey Frogman,
Hope the weekend is good.
- Like most people I like tons of stuff that is the musical equivalent of junk food, and I never said Pdn's musical taste was crap.

-The previous post did not suggest that one needs to be an innovator to be a great player (or is crap because he or she is not breaking new ground)...if there's an elitist epithet being hurled here it doesn't stick. It's pretty obvious that good and great music can come from almost anywhere.

-Did not claim that David Murray, who rarely plays below his abilities (as he does on maybe Dark Star or Fo Deux Revue) has gone into unmapped territory ... he has worked further away from the mainstream than Mintzer on several Black Saint, Soul Note and Hat releases, (this is not a knock on either player).

-On most post 70's discs w/ Liebman it's rare to go 5 minutes without finding some sax playing that would fit right in on a Kenny G record... if you want some of his weakest discs try Energy of Change, Light'n Up Please, Daydream w/ Terumasa Hino and Plays the Music of Alec Wilder w/ Vic Juris. Liebman (and Juris) both have put out a pile of recordings that still seem fresh and deliver a real sense of discovery, (the Liebman Lookout Farm records are great and I wish ECM would would reissue them).

-Also did not claim to be well informed in any post, basically was just noting that posters who jumped on other members assumed they knew more about fellow Audiogoners than they actually did.

-Gotta agree, opinions about music are hugely subjective. It's great to have a light bulb go on that gets you into something you previously didn't like. At its core some of the best jazz or improvised music will grab, twist and combine just about anything for a buzz, a lot of times there's nothing purist or sophisticated about it. Very long story short... I usually prefer chunky jazz to smooth jazz.

Duane, thanks for clarifying, and for the info/examples. I have no doubt that once we get past the vagaries of the printed word, there is far more agreement than disagreement here.

Peace.

BTW, to this day, some of my favorite work by Liebman is from the late sixties, during his stint with Elvin Jones. If you haven't, check out "Dear John C." Also on the session was a 19 year old Steve Grossman; killing it!