Smooth Jazz is a huge method of controversy in the radio industry. With Clear Channel owning a grand monopoly of these stations, and many of them pulling out the genre, it appears to be dying.
A question that I ask myself often is "Is Smooth Jazz really Jazz?"
After months of thought since the dying of KKSF's smooth jazz format, I have come to the conclusion that NO, it is not.
Why? Because of one thing: Improvisation. Improvisation is the main thing that makes jazz jazz. So, since Smooth Jazz generally lacks improvisation, it's not jazz. It's a soft form of Adult Contemporary that has influence from Jazz and Pop standards that does not consist of Jazz. So, as some stations call it, it's more accurate name would be Smooth AC. And whether you believe it or not, Smooth AC is nothing more than a radio format. That's right, a genre used exclusively by the radio industry to make money.
Does that mean the music is bad? No. But like I said, it's sole purpose is to make money and it seems to be a dying format.
