What's your favorite smooth jazz tune?

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Barefoot on the Beach by Michael Franks or anything by Chris Botti

This cut by Grover Washington Jr.

'What You Won't Do for Love' written and performed by Bobby Caldwell. One of the best, if not THE best Smooth Jazz song ever.

Arguably, one of the greatest songs ever, period. It's been covered by 42 artists. Among others, Phyllis Hyman does a great version.

Pat Metheny "To The End of The World"

r4 I remember when I first found out that Bobby Caldwell was White...3 years ago, lol. Tripped me out. And I'm not the only one.

Here's another great Smooth Jazz tune. It's not well known, but there are a few different versions and if you listen to it, you'll realize that you've been hearing it for years.

Kenny Loggins gets a bad rap (Yacht Rock), but he's written a lot of great songs that are buried in his albums.

I got a friend of mine that was a DJ playing this as morning music. I've told that story on DL before.

The ubiquitous smooth jazz piece is Wave by Antonio Carlos Jobim. (They named a cool jazz station after it!)

I really love this one by Manu Katche . It fuses cool jazz with smooth:

Bookmarking this thread. Thanks OP!

"Desire" by Paul Hardcastle. Honestly, anything by Paul Hardcastle belongs here.

This classic counts, I think. Art of Noise "Moments in Love (Quiet Storm Version)"

Smooth jazz is the aural equivalent of methadone.

Gabor Szabo & Bobby Womack's original version of "Breezin" (later made more famous by George Benson)

Nile Rodgers coulda been a jazz guitarist

Ronnie Laws, Always There

Richard Elliot, Street Beat

Smooth Jazz (and openly gay) saxophone player Dave Koz did a cover of Bacharach/David's "This Guy's In Love With You" several years ago. Not known as a singer, he has a very pleasing voice, perfect for this tune. I like his version more than Herb Alpert's, who was the first to record it.

CTI Records was kinda the progenitor of smooth jazz (for better or worse). I have to admit a weakness for a lot of their output.

Artists like Antonio Carlos Jobim and Astrud Gilberto aren't really "smooth jazz" artists. They were part of the "Brazilian Invasion" that hit the U.S. in the 1960s, bringing the sounds of sambas and Bossa Novas to mainstream U.S. audiences.

Smooth Jazz didn't really become a prominent music genre until the 1970s/80s with artists like George Benson and Spyro Gyra.

Whatever women listen to at concerts in depression commercials when they show them getting better.

Cal Harris Jr. / "She Loves The Water"

r17, good pick! Also, if you notice at the end he sings, "I'm in love with this guy."

Bobby Caldwell, "What You Won't Do For Love." I love his voice.

I admit I don't know the definition of smooth jazz vs jazz. Is smooth jazz Kenny G? Anything played on 'radio?' A hot, high trumpet?

Hiroshima - One Wish

R24 Smooth jazz is to jazz what Muzak was to rock and roll.

It's just a lighter, more palatable version of jazz. No harsh notes or dissonance. Nothing played too fast. Mostly instrumentals, but not always. Instrumental versions of pop/R&B hits became ubiquitous and at one point seemed to overtake the entire genre.

It was music you could put on while you were studying, or on Sunday mornings when you had a hangover. For me, it was always mostly "background" music...to be enjoyed, without much effort or attention having to be paid.

And yes, most of Kenny G's catalog would be considered "smooth jazz". He was/is, in fact, one of the titans of the genre. Maybe the best-selling smooth jazz player of all time.

"Smooth Jazz" is actually a misnomer, as it has very little to do with traditional jazz. It's more like pop instrumentals (with occasional vocals). You couldn't listen to a smooth jazz song and in any way confuse it with a traditional jazz tune.

So good

This is about as upbeat and lively as smooth jazz ever got.

"Freedom at Midnight" by David Benoit