Who do you consider the true pioneer of smooth jazz music?

[Pink Jazz]

I was wondering, who do you consider the true pioneer of the smooth jazz genre?

While a jazz purist would probably say Kenny G due to his immense popularity, there is no denying the genre (not the radio format) existed before his popularity. Of the listed artists, I would probably give the most credit to George Benson with hits such as Breezin' and Affirmation.

[Takumi]

Dave Brubeck
https://youtu.be/XvY7p9OBTlE

[Pink Jazz]

Dave Brubeck

I don't consider Dave Brubeck as a smooth jazz artist. His music was more of a predecessor to what we call smooth jazz.

[Henry]

I remember hearing the late Ramsey Lewis cover Dobie Gray's The "In" Crowd on the radio. Given that his version came just one year after Gray's, I wouldn't be surprised if a few people believed Lewis' version came first. In fact, Lewis' 1965 cover probably came out while Gray's 1964 hit was still charting, although I'm not exactly sure about that.



A similar case can be made for fellow Chicago-born piano/keyboard player Herbie Hancock (starting with the Head Hunters album from 1973), but was he ever featured on that format himself? I know many smooth jazz artists have covered his works over the years (such as Chameleon, Watermelon Man and Cantaloupe Island), so he may have been a major influence on the genre as a whole with his always-evolving sound.

[kphoger]

I'm not even sure I'd call Spyro Gyra "smooth jazz".  Maybe Kenny G has simply defined what the genre is, so anything dissimilar to it doesn't register as "smooth jazz" to me?

[Pink Jazz]

I'm not even sure I'd call Spyro Gyra "smooth jazz".  Maybe Kenny G has simply defined what the genre is, so anything dissimilar to it doesn't register as "smooth jazz" to me?

For me Kenny G doesn't even represent the genre as a whole and is overrated as an artist. Very few of today's smooth jazz artists consider Kenny G an idol and all trace their music to the originals back in the 1970s. Even Kenny G himself considers Grover Washington Jr. to be his idol.

[Rothman]

Michael Buble.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Ozzy Osbourne.

[kphoger]

Taraf de Haïdouks

[Pink Jazz]

Taraf de Haïdouks

They are not even a smooth jazz group.

Come on, many of these answers are wack and have no knowledge about the history of smooth jazz.

[SectorZ]

Taraf de Haïdouks

They are not even a smooth jazz group.

Come on, many of these answers are wack and have no knowledge about the history of smooth jazz.

You posed a question that is going to get funny responses, especially on a site not devoted to nor filled with legions of experts in smooth jazz.

I voted for George Benson BTW. I respect the hell out of his style.

[kphoger]

Taraf de Haïdouks

They are not even a smooth jazz group.

Come on, many of these answers are wack and have no knowledge about the history of smooth jazz.

Sorry, I assumed the serious discussion ended with mention of Ozzy.

By the way, thanks for reminding me about Spyro Gyra.  My work day benefitted from the album Morning Dance today.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Taraf de Haïdouks

They are not even a smooth jazz group.

Come on, many of these answers are wack and have no knowledge about the history of smooth jazz.

These are the same people who don't get Geography either, as evidence of many of them campaigning to get Kentucky including in the Midwest.

[skluth]

I've always thought smooth jazz came out of bossa nova, so someone like Stan Getz or Antônio Carlos Jobim.

[JayhawkCO]

Taraf de Haïdouks

They are not even a smooth jazz group.

Come on, many of these answers are wack and have no knowledge about the history of smooth jazz.

You do realize that approximately 99.9% of Americans cannot name a smooth jazz performer other than Kenny G, right?

I might as well ask who is the best germanium miner in the world.

[Pink Jazz]

Taraf de Haïdouks

They are not even a smooth jazz group.

Come on, many of these answers are wack and have no knowledge about the history of smooth jazz.

You do realize that approximately 99.9% of Americans cannot name a smooth jazz performer other than Kenny G, right?

I might as well ask who is the best germanium miner in the world.

Are you sure George Benson isn't well known enough to the general public? He did have his vocal hits, but he also had hits such as Breezin' and Affirmation. I am also pretty sure many people have also heard Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good.

[JayhawkCO]

Taraf de Haïdouks

They are not even a smooth jazz group.

Come on, many of these answers are wack and have no knowledge about the history of smooth jazz.

You do realize that approximately 99.9% of Americans cannot name a smooth jazz performer other than Kenny G, right?

I might as well ask who is the best germanium miner in the world.

Are you sure George Benson isn't well known enough to the general public? He did have his vocal hits, but he also had hits such as Breezin' and Affirmation. I am also pretty sure many people have also heard Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good.

I, personally, a person who is pretty eclectic with musical taste, has not heard of either of them. Just played Breezin' on Spotify and doesn't sound familiar, and I listened to a lot of 70's music growing up.

[Pink Jazz]

If you are a fan of King of the Hill, you will know about Chuck Mangione.

[skluth]

Taraf de Haïdouks

They are not even a smooth jazz group.

Come on, many of these answers are wack and have no knowledge about the history of smooth jazz.

You do realize that approximately 99.9% of Americans cannot name a smooth jazz performer other than Kenny G, right?

I might as well ask who is the best germanium miner in the world.

Are you sure George Benson isn't well known enough to the general public? He did have his vocal hits, but he also had hits such as Breezin' and Affirmation. I am also pretty sure many people have also heard Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good.

I, personally, a person who is pretty eclectic with musical taste, has not heard of either of them. Just played Breezin' on Spotify and doesn't sound familiar, and I listened to a lot of 70's music growing up.

Benson also had a huge hit with a cover of the Drifters "On Broadway" which I prefer over the original hit.

[Rothman]

If you are a fan of King of the Hill, you will know about Chuck Mangione.

Or Doctor Strange...

[kphoger]

Are you sure George Benson isn't well known enough to the general public? He did have his vocal hits, but he also had hits such as Breezin' and Affirmation. I am also pretty sure many people have also heard Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good.

I, personally, a person who is pretty eclectic with musical taste, has not heard of either of them.

Same here.  Very eclectic taste in music.  Almost went for a music major.  Never heard of them.

[skluth]

Are you sure George Benson isn't well known enough to the general public? He did have his vocal hits, but he also had hits such as Breezin' and Affirmation. I am also pretty sure many people have also heard Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good.

I, personally, a person who is pretty eclectic with musical taste, has not heard of either of them.

Same here.  Very eclectic taste in music.  Almost went for a music major.  Never heard of them.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Are you sure George Benson isn't well known enough to the general public? He did have his vocal hits, but he also had hits such as Breezin' and Affirmation. I am also pretty sure many people have also heard Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good.

I, personally, a person who is pretty eclectic with musical taste, has not heard of either of them.

Same here.  Very eclectic taste in music.  Almost went for a music major.  Never heard of them.

I think its a generational thing. Chuck Mangione, George Benson, Spyro Gyra, Grover Washington, Lee Reitenour all were off the "popular charts" before 1985.

[formulanone]

Are you sure George Benson isn't well known enough to the general public? He did have his vocal hits, but he also had hits such as Breezin' and Affirmation. I am also pretty sure many people have also heard Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good.

I, personally, a person who is pretty eclectic with musical taste, has not heard of either of them.

Same here.  Very eclectic taste in music.  Almost went for a music major.  Never heard of them.

I think its a generational thing. Chuck Mangione, George Benson, Spyro Gyra, Grover Washington, Lee Reitenour all were off the "popular charts" before 1985.

There was actually a time when instrumental music hit the charts more than once every 30 years.

[JayhawkCO]

Are you sure George Benson isn't well known enough to the general public? He did have his vocal hits, but he also had hits such as Breezin' and Affirmation. I am also pretty sure many people have also heard Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good.

I, personally, a person who is pretty eclectic with musical taste, has not heard of either of them.

Same here.  Very eclectic taste in music.  Almost went for a music major.  Never heard of them.

I think its a generational thing. Chuck Mangione, George Benson, Spyro Gyra, Grover Washington, Lee Reitenour all were off the "popular charts" before 1985.

Understood, but the OP is 6 years younger than me, and seems flummoxed that someone wouldn't have heard of them, which, to me, makes it less of a generational thing and more of a "this wasn't played on the radio so why would I have heard it?" kind of thing.