How smooth jazz took over the ‘90s

You should give smooth jazz a chance.

Smooth jazz has gotten a bad rap for decades. It’s often associated with background music for elevators or the soundtrack at the dentist office. Smooth jazz is less a genre of music than a highly researched radio format and, although it’s heyday was in the 1990s and it’s mostly associated with Kenny G, its origins go back the mid 1960s when a select few jazz musicians crossed over to pop music and had music purists riling. Artists like Grover Washington Jr. and George Benson took the style to new heights and created the sound that we all know and love….to hate.

Some songs don't just stick in your head, they change the music world forever. Join Estelle Caswell on a musical journey to discover the stories behind your favorite songs.

Note: The headline for this video has been updated since publishing.
Previous headline: How smooth jazz took over the ‘90s

[Vox]

Love Vox Earworm? Hop onto a live Q&A with Estelle Caswell, the creator behind the series, on December 20 at 5 PM ET by joining the Vox Video Lab, our new membership program on YouTube. She and other creators on our team will bringing you behind the scenes in a completely new way! (And if you missed the livestream, you'd still be able to see a recording).

[spiksplinter]

Smooth Jazz is the "lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to" from the 80's

[futuregroove]

I have worked in the contemporary jazz world for 24+ years, and this video was an unbiased and balanced perspective on the genre. A lot of people bash it, but what is wrong with music that chills people out and gives them some peace of mind, in a world that is as stress inducing as the one we all live in? I applaud Estelle for her fair treatment of a very polarizing style of music. If the jazz-heads or other purists hate it, then they don't have to listen to it.

[NateandNoahTryLife]

This music series has been really, really well done. Starting to creep up on borders as my favorite Vox show.

[LaBlaxicana]

Literally my childhood. Parents played this everytime we were in the car. Reminds me of whole foods, barnes n noble, borders, rainy cities, mummured conversations...

[CharlesMosley]

I got into Smooth Jazz in late 1998. I was a 15 year old Black teenage boy from West Philadelphia at the time and was beyond tired of 1990's r&b, rap, pop, and on and on. I got to the point where I had to find something else to listen to. I stumbled across Philadelphia's WJJZ 106.1 one afternoon. I gave it a chance. until that point in my life, I was NOT a fan of jazz music. but I was pleasantly surprised. song after song played and I became obsessed! I began recording songs on cassette tapes on my stereo. one day, a promo aired telling listeners to tune in at 8am for the 8am commercial-free smooth jazz hour. I was hooked. I have been a smooth jazz fan ever since. everyone from Kenny G, Eric Merrienthal, Najee, Boney James, Richard Elliot, George Howard, David Benoit, Dave Koz, Steve Laury, and everyone in between are my favorites. for my late teens and early twenties this music was the soundtrack of my life. and yes,  I still have those tapes. they are organized in shoe boxes, numbered and cataloged.

[levidyer]

You have to do a video about the history of Bossa Nova, how an US saxophone player, Stan Getz and Brazilian musicians, João Gilberto, Antânio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto and many others wrote songs, like the 2nd most covered song ever, Girl from Ipanema from the Grammy award winning album, Getz/Gilberto and many other hits that helped keep Jazz alive during the 60's.

[shanhussain]

I'm from Bangladesh, and my dad had gone to the US sometime in 94 and brought back a huge collection of cassettes of recordings of CD101.9

Oh, such delightful memories...

[pourtaghi]

I used to work at a record store and the owner always played smooth jazz. My addled twenty year old brain couldn’t fathom why anyone who liked music could appreciate it, and he said something that blew my mind wide open. When I asked him what deal was with smooth jazz he told me, “It was the seventies. Vietnam had just ended, and people were tired.”

I never criticized the genre again.

[koiyujo]

smooth jazz isn't as popular as it was but the fact that it's becoming more back to our world again slowly it's a bit of a blessing I just hope that happens sense we need this

[Samatargurey]

what about *Sade* and her impact on Smooth Jazz...

[LONE_WOLF_GANG]

Smooth jazz turns every place elegant and every awkward situation into a "smooth" one. Elevators and Art exhibits are a perfect example. It's like the lube of life's vibes.

[masoncraine]

As a jazz musician, I greatly appreciate these ear worm episodes! Keep it up!

[collapsible]

I single-handedly credit Vaporwave for the resurgence of interest in smooth jazz.

[devonmillar]

Queens, NY native. CD 101.9 rest in peace. as integral in my childhood as my SNES or PS1.

[arunphillips]

Smooth Jazz is something I have re-discovered after sort of leaving it back in the late 90's. But, I'm hooked on it again! Thank you for this superb video, you have such a pleasant voice to listen to!

[georginatoland]

Kenny G sent the nicest thank you letter to the company I worked for in the mid-eighties, the Wherehouse. In it he thanked us for believing in him and his music.

We sold a solid amount of Kenny G tapes. 👍🏼

[--Paws--]

Smooth-jazz was the lo-fi hip-hop of today?

[coolo]

The video didn't mention the "adult contemporary" format which really swallowed up smooth jazz, pushing out the more R&B/funk/latin based stuff, leaving Kenny G playing next to Celine Dion and Michael Bolton.

[thousandoaksmall]

This might be my favorite episode of the show ever. I've had to watch it like 10 times, and I've went and bought vinyl copies of many of the albums discussed. So