TWC Today Forums
Present - The Weather Channel 2000 => Local Forecast => Topic started by: imin on June 05, 2009, 10:46:11 AM
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Yep, they've decided to remove the independent music from TWC completely.
Here's the email that they sent to me as a courtesy:
'The Weather Channel has set a goal to maintain its current audience base, while attracting new audiences, and would like for the network’s music and sound to complement this goal. Towards this end, we are seeking a composer or music production company to develop an overall sound for the entire network. We are looking for an individual or group that is innovative, highly creative and has an understanding of programming music for television.'
So that's it. You know they're going to choose a company because no individual has the time to put-out that much music on a daily basis. They probably already have a production house lined-up.
It's a shame.
-JR
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I couldn't agree more, it truly is a shame. The one thing NBC could have left alone and they still can't seem to take a hint that they're making too many changes and not all of them are good. That fact that they're basically giving you the boot is even worse. Smooth Jazz has been apart of TWC's roots for over 25 years, you can't just decide to throw that away out of the blue for rock, something I don't care that much about listening to. :no: :(
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I can't Believe they did that to you :cry3:
The only thing i can say is there are many other channels to play your breathtaking music and you will get many more fans than TWC will ever get.
This will mark the fallout of TWC and how many viewers turn away from them.
They already lost me as a fan due to this change.
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I am just speechless...I could say a thousand things right now that could get me warned/banned so I'll keep my mouth shut. All I can say at the moment is wow....can you say EPIC fail? :rolleyes: I feel so angry but not surprised about this. Just AIM or Google Talk me and you'll see how mad I am about this. :angry:
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Okay, TWC better sell themselves out soon. I'm sure no one at TWC likes what NBC is doing to them.
I'm just :censored: about this now.
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Okay, TWC better sell themselves out soon. I'm sure no one at TWC likes what NBC is doing to them.
That's not gonna happen anytime soon, I'm not a legal expert on these kind of things, but wouldn't TWC be in a nasty lawsuit with NBC for breaking their management contract with them?
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Okay, TWC better sell themselves out soon. I'm sure no one at TWC likes what NBC is doing to them.
That's not gonna happen anytime soon, I'm not a legal expert on these kind of things, but wouldn't TWC be in a nasty lawsuit with NBC for breaking their management contract with them?
It's a free country, TWC has every right to break away from NBC if they feel their actions are harming them. Yes there are consequences but it depends with the situation.
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Okay, TWC better sell themselves out soon. I'm sure no one at TWC likes what NBC is doing to them.
That's not gonna happen anytime soon, I'm not a legal expert on these kind of things, but wouldn't TWC be in a nasty lawsuit with NBC for breaking their management contract with them?
It's a free country, TWC has every right to break away from NBC if they feel their actions are harming them. Yes there are consequences but it depends with the situation.
Yes i would like to see that but, you never know if TWC wanted this direction in the 1st place?
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Okay, TWC better sell themselves out soon. I'm sure no one at TWC likes what NBC is doing to them.
That's not gonna happen anytime soon, I'm not a legal expert on these kind of things, but wouldn't TWC be in a nasty lawsuit with NBC for breaking their management contract with them?
It's a free country, TWC has every right to break away from NBC if they feel their actions are harming them. Yes there are consequences but it depends with the situation.
Yeah, I agree, I just always wondered if there would be a backlash to it since NBC poured so much money into buying the network and they suddenly decide to break away from them so soon. I wish all the best for Ms. Ricks, she deserves better than to be with this new image of TWC anyway.
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I wouldn't be surprised to hear vocals at this point. TWC and NBC won't care then.
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I feel like I wanna cry right now :cry3:
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I am very sorry to hear about this. :(
But I am a little confused. Does this mean Smooth Jazz is gone from the Local Forecast, or just certain artists? :dunno: Either way, :cry:.
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Yes i would like to see that but, you never know if TWC wanted this direction in the 1st place?
Matt mentioned that according to TWC's book from 2002, Landmark didn't like the ideas NBC had planned for TWC when they made an offer to buy it back in the 1980's. Last year I guess they didn't have a choice who to sell it to because by the end of June 2008 NBC was the only company interested in buying it when Landmark put TWC up for sale.
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I am very sorry to hear about this. :(
But I am a little confused. Does this mean Smooth Jazz is gone from the Local Forecast, or just certain artists? :dunno: Either way, :cry:.
I hope not. Rock Music is OK, but without Smooth jazz music is :thumbdown:.
They already lost me as a fan due to this change.
Same here, as well as the new suckish Weather Center, the BBOD, and some changes in March 2009.
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Hi Guys,
Thanks as always for the support. As for what kind of music it sounds like they're either going for theme based music - to presumably give them a consistent identity or a package of specific music from a company like the Satellite music stations pre-programmed selections (possibly still Smooth Jazz although they've expressed a desire to have more variety).
Either way it's just one less outlet for independent music exposure - and more specifically independent Jazz.
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Why can't they just use mainly jazz and maybe some other varieties. Variety is actually good, but they should use 75-80% of the songs in the list as jazz and 20% other genres. They just don't know what they're doing for themselves.
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Hi Guys,
Thanks as always for the support. As for what kind of music it sounds like they're either going for theme based music - to presumably give them a consistent identity or a package of specific music from a company like the Satellite music stations pre-programmed selections (possibly still Smooth Jazz although they've expressed a desire to have more variety).
Either way it's just one less outlet for independent music exposure - and more specifically independent Jazz.
This is sad news to hear! Thank you so much for letting us know and keeping us updated! TWC is really shooting itself in the foot. Its tarnishing its image and turning away viewers who have been regular viewers for years. Dont know why things that work have to be changed. :no:
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This is a little weird. Steve Hurst told me something like this would happen years ago. Well, he didn't say it "would" happen, just that it was an option they were considering. He told me that it's become rather expensive to play commercial music because of outrageous royalty fees (most of which, I'm sure the record companies give to the artists [haha - yah right]). Back in the day, most independent artists were happy to have their music on the air for free (to get exposure). This is not the case anymore. So while I agree that this is a decision that will piss a lot of people off, I can understand why they're doing it. But look on the bright side, maybe they'll play Network Music again? Or Trammell?
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imin, I am so sorry. I can't imagine what it would be like for you. :no:
NBC is really making a lot of wrong moves. :club: :club: :club: :club: :club:
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Trammell is signed with a record company? I thought he's an independent artist. :unsure:
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Well IMO I think that they definately shouldn't get rid of their original smooth jazz, but i'm also a big rock fan(http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/smileys/music-131.gif) (http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/) so i think it would be really cool if they started to do rock too.
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Well IMO I think that they definately shouldn't get rid of their original smooth jazz, but i'm also a big rock fan([url]http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/smileys/music-131.gif[/url]) ([url]http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/[/url]) so i think it would be really cool if they started to do rock too.
Do you even realize that this means she won't make any money off of her music? :o :blink:
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Well IMO I think that they definately shouldn't get rid of their original smooth jazz, but i'm also a big rock fan([url]http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/smileys/music-131.gif[/url]) ([url]http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/[/url]) so i think it would be really cool if they started to do rock too.
Do you even realize that this means she won't make any money off of her music? :o :blink:
Oh sorry. I just realized that a twc musician started this thread :doh: In that case thats not cool :no:
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Trammell is signed with a record company? I thought he's an independent artist. :unsure:
same here, me gots a bad feeling
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TWC has been consistently shooting themselves in the foot ever since they were bought out by NBC. This is just the icing on the cake.
Trammell is signed with a record company? I thought he's an independent artist. :unsure:
He does production music. The TWC set was production music.
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Wow, this is such a shame for you Jeanne, as well as all the other independent artists featured on TWC. It's definitely the WRONG thing for TWC to do. If I had any interest left in TWC this would have killed it.
I do wonder though, where you guys got the notion that they're gonna use rock music. I didn't read that part in the memo Jeanne posted...
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I do wonder though, where you guys got the notion that they're gonna use rock music. I didn't read that part in the memo Jeanne posted...
Well Gary, they are. Just look at the June playlist- There are far more songs of the Rock genre than of jazz or most anything else. <_< :(
There is no indication that they are definitively choosing Rock as their genre.
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I do wonder though, where you guys got the notion that they're gonna use rock music. I didn't read that part in the memo Jeanne posted...
Well Gary, they are. Just look at the June playlist- There are far more songs of the Rock genre than of jazz or most anything else. <_< :(
Wow, this is such a shame for you Jeanne, as well as all the other independent artists featured on TWC. It's definitely the WRONG thing for TWC to do. If I had any interest left in TWC this would have killed it.
Agreed. The only reason I am still watching TWC is because I have had so many years tied up with them. It is not easy to leave a lifelong hobby like that. :no:
TWC and NBC will notice their ratings and viewers go down to the sewer. It would be nice if they realized they had fans.
However, it seems to me like they know they are disapproving to the audience they have always had. They are including at least some jazz. I notice there is at least one Ryan Farish song. But having said that, I didn't say that they care. I wonder how many people would agree to and/or sign a petition on this....... :thinking:
All those groups (except maybe one) have been featured on TWC in years past. Nothing really new on that playlist. And as Gil said, there's no indication they plan to go with an all rock format. Tht's just a premature conclusion on your part.
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On MY part? I don't think you've read through the forums much lately. I am clearly not the only one who has come to that "premature conclusion"
So just because more than one person says the same thing, that makes it true?
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Someone please tell me..how rock from the 60s and 70s is supposed to appeal a younger
audience versus smooth jazz from the 2000s? :whistling: TWC has used rock before and I don't mind them using rock as long as the MAJORITY of the playlist is jazz. Just 6 jazz songs and the rest rock, chill and pop? That's supposed to be a minority...the Indie and Mainstream jazz should still be the majority.
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I think we just need to wait and see what happens. Whining about it certianly won't change it, now or later.
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Someone please tell me..how rock from the 60s and 70s is supposed to appeal a younger
audience versus smooth jazz from the 2000s? :whistling:
Because aside from Pop music, Classic rock is probably the next most-popular genre among people today.
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It's odd...as with us liking jazz at such a young age.
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It's odd...as with us liking jazz at such a young age.
LOL, liking classic rock isn't THAT odd. :P
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I think we just need to wait and see what happens. Whining about it certianly won't change it, now or later.
Yea Im going with Gary on this one. We have no clue what really is going to happen, only that TWC is experimenting with the playlist. I can only hope they will go back to their traditional type of playlists.
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Hey Guys,
To 'twcclassics' Steve Hurst was a great guy, I was so sorry to see him leave because he truly was the one that set the tone for the inclusion of 'indie' music in the line-up and to 'bolt96' well it's obvious where your true sentiments lie and that's ok. The thing is, if you read their language carefully, you'll note the phrase 'identity' - this says to me they may be moving towards very specific themes for each segment - to make them identifiable as opposed to the pastiche that they currently have. So you may be hearing not a specific genre of music, i.e. 'rock' or 'smooth jazz' but, instead very regimented 'weather channel' themes.
Either that or they'll employ a company that already has the licenses and pre-formatted music - like a satellite radio channel - in which case you may indeed get your beloved 'rock' as just a part of the 'new' style that they choose. And I'd have to agree with 'localonthe8s' that it's difficult to see 'classic rock' as being particularly appealing to 'youth' - I mean, huh?!
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Hey Guys,
To 'twcclassics' Steve Hurst was a great guy, I was so sorry to see him leave because he truly was the one that set the tone for the inclusion of 'indie' music in the line-up and to 'bolt96' well it's obvious where your true sentiments lie and that's ok. The thing is, if you read their language carefully, you'll note the phrase 'identity' - this says to me they may be moving towards very specific themes for each segment - to make them identifiable as opposed to the pastiche that they currently have. So you may be hearing not a specific genre of music, i.e. 'rock' or 'smooth jazz' but, instead very regimented 'weather channel' themes.
Either that or they'll employ a company that already has the licenses and pre-formatted music - like a satellite radio channel - in which case you may indeed get your beloved 'rock' as just a part of the 'new' style that they choose. And I'd have to agree with 'localonthe8s' that it's difficult to see 'classic rock' as being particularly appealing to 'youth' - I mean, huh?!
I still think that youth being into jazz is a far bigger "huh?" then being into classic rock. :P :D
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Keep in mind that TWC has done this before - in the mid 90's. The whole Network Music/Trammell Starks thing was pretty much the same scenario as what TWC/NBC is proposing: production music. Whether or not it will stay that way is another story. TWC ultimately phased out the Trammell music by 1998 or so... It might last only a few years or so if they do decide to go this route.
BTW, I talked with Trammell earlier and told him about what's going on - he says he is going to contact Creative Services over at TWC. It'd be great if he got the job.
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BTW, I talked with Trammell earlier and told him about what's going on - he says he is going to contact Creative Services over at TWC. It'd be great if he got the job.
That would be interesting
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From Melissa Medori, sounds like a bunch of BS to me..
Thank you so much for sending along your feedback. As you have noticed, there have been some changes to the music during Local on the 8s. However, there is no fear that we are abandoning the jazz format, which we still celebrate and incorporate into our play lists. We have added some more contemporary and modern sounds in order to expand our offerings and appeal to a larger portion of our demographic. This has been based on much feedback and testing. However, we continue to monitor the feedback, and I have passed your note along to the appropriate product team for review and recording.
Again, we appreciate hearing from our great viewers and hope you will continue to watch The Weather Channel for years to come.
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Now the question becomes: Which one is lying? :club:
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Now the question becomes: Which one is lying? :club:
Where do you get this from?
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That Was a real reply from Melissa i got the same thing
Hey Alejandro
Thank you so much for sending along your feedback. As you have noticed, there have been some changes to the music during Local on the 8s. However, there is no fear that we are abandoning the jazz format, which we still celebrate and incorporate into our play lists. We have added some more contemporary and modern sounds in order to expand our offerings and appeal to a larger portion of our demographic. This has been based on much feedback and testing. However, we continue to monitor the feedback, and I have passed your note along to the appropriate product team for review and recording.
Again, we appreciate hearing from our great viewers and hope you will continue to watch The Weather Channel for years to come.
Also I personally will send you the playlist when it becomes final.
Melissa Medori
So lets hope the July playlist is better than this months!
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The reply I got was worse than yours:
Hi Mike, [/]
[/]
Thanks for your note. Our team relies on feedback such as this when assessing programs and offerings. I will be sure to send this along to the appropriate product manager for review and consideration. [/]
[/]
I appreciate you taking time to let us know what you think.[/]
[/] Melissa Medori
Public Relations Coordinator
The Weather Channel
[url=http://www.weather.com/press]www.weather.com/press[/url] ([url]http://www.weather.com/press[/url]) [/]
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Now the question becomes: Which one is lying? :club:
Where do you get this from?
The first person said they were going to go with (most likely) production music. The second one said they are still keeping the Jazz music. Someone is lying.
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i got a reply from Chris Geith regarding the topic
Thanks for writing! Yes, I know about the change. I didn't get in the playlist in June because my latest
tracks were sent in too late. They should air in July from what I was told, so look out for:
"Feeling Good" and "Diamonds in The Sky". Lots of new music in the works ....
All the best,
Chris Geith
[url]http://chrisgeith.com[/url] ([url]http://chrisgeith.com[/url])
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Well, at least we know there will be some smooth jazz on the playlist next month.
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i got a reply from Chris Geith regarding the topic
Thanks for writing! Yes, I know about the change. I didn't get in the playlist in June because my latest
tracks were sent in too late. They should air in July from what I was told, so look out for:
"Feeling Good" and "Diamonds in The Sky". Lots of new music in the works ....
All the best,
Chris Geith
[url]http://chrisgeith.com[/url] ([url]http://chrisgeith.com[/url])
phew. i just hope the majority of the list will be new smooth jazz songs. some moby doesn't hurt either
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The first person said they were going to go with (most likely) production music. The second one said they are still keeping the Jazz music. Someone is lying.
If I'm "the first person," I'm not lying. I never said they definitely would go with production music. I just said that it was an option they were considering. Of course, that was years ago (like I said).
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The first person said they were going to go with (most likely) production music. The second one said they are still keeping the Jazz music. Someone is lying.
If I'm "the first person," I'm not lying. I never said they definitely would go with production music. I just said that it was an option they were considering. Of course, that was years ago (like I said).
I'm talking about TWC.
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Is Brian Piacrd is still selecting to the music? I also listened to radio broadcast with him on a NYC radio station (type "brian picard weather channel", and you'll see it in the first link) that he will add a mix to the variety once in a while but not too often because "We don't want to lose the emotional connection of jazz with our viewers". Hopefully, this style change is once in a while.
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Is Brian Piacrd is still selecting to the music? I also listened to radio broadcast with him on a NYC radio station (type "brian picard weather channel", and you'll see it in the first link) that he will add a mix to the variety once in a while but not too often because "We don't want to lose the emotional connection of jazz with our viewers". Hopefully, this style change is once in a while.
I thought you told us a new group was to be in charge of the playlists next month. :huh:
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Is Brian Piacrd is still selecting to the music? I also listened to radio broadcast with him on a NYC radio station (type "brian picard weather channel", and you'll see it in the first link) that he will add a mix to the variety once in a while but not too often because "We don't want to lose the emotional connection of jazz with our viewers". Hopefully, this style change is once in a while.
I thought you told us a new group was to be in charge of the playlists next month. :huh:
I'm talking about the music right now...
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Well, at least we know there will be some smooth jazz on the playlist next month.
Always a relief. Hope it continues
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FYI
http://www.contracostatimes.com/music/ci_12532336 (http://www.contracostatimes.com/music/ci_12532336)
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All i can say is shame on all these radio stations and twc,
These changes are the worse to come and ruin me.
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FYI
[url]http://www.contracostatimes.com/music/ci_12532336[/url] ([url]http://www.contracostatimes.com/music/ci_12532336[/url])
It's odd how all the sudden they decided smooth jazz isn't popular anymore. That's a lot of stations that shut down in just 15 months.
All I says is I hope they don't get rid of the smooth jazz stations on Music Choice and Sirius/XM.
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I didn't realize that the entire genre of smooth jazz was in that much trouble. How did it suddenly become so unpopular?
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I think when advertisers and marketing people gave 'smooth jazz' the catch-phrase 'the soundtrack for your life' it sorta told people 'hey, this is background music, nothing more. I mean who 'buys' soundtracks (other than egg-heads like myself). But, I think it left the impression that the music was not valid as 'jazz' or as a real genre. it's funny because they created the label 'smooth jazz' and I believe they also killed it.
-JR
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I'm no expert, but I would venture to say that Smooth Jazz is failing because it's gotten so bland. In an attempt to "be all things to all people," they've made all the artists all sound alike. As a result, they've alienated a lot of the their fans (like me) and failed to make enough new ones. People who aren't fans of jazz probably never will be. So why water down the genre in the "hopes" of getting their support?
Some water is good, I guess. If it wasn't for contemporary jazz (the kind jazz critics hate), I would've never been turned on to the genre. Traditional jazz (the kind jazz critics love) is too dull to me. But it's gone too far in the last 10 years. But if they go back to a more melodic approach, instead of the current groove-oriented one, they might get their fans back.
It seems like the same thing happens anytime a group tries to attract more people. TWC is a great example. In an attempt to get more fans, they've dumbed down the forecasts and added watered-down programming. They've also added more rock/rock-influenced music to the local forecast. I assume this has worked, but one has to wonder how many fans they've lost by trying to appeal to everyone.
While I understand why classic rock gets more listeners, I'm personally sick of all the classic rock and 80s/mix type stations. Enough already! Try something new for crying out loud! :club:
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I have some 'Jazz Nazi' friend who will insist that ONLY 'Traditional Jazz' (which as you noted critics also love) is the only 'true' jazz. 2 me that is contrary to all that jazz was about - it is after all a music based on improvisation. It's origin was the blues and 'Jazz' started out as a dance music. But then BeeBop took off in the early '50's- that's the style & time period that these folks really latched onto. But, BeeBop wasn't just a style of music. When you look into it - it was a style of living AT THAT TIME. It is inseparable from the times that it was developed.
These new musicians can NEVER play BeeBop and apparently they haven't got the guts to dig deeper inside themselves to see what style they might develop on their own. I had the opportunity to hang-out with Miles Davis in NY wile he was recording 'Decoy' and 'You're Under Arrest'. He got heavily criticized for abandoning 'Traditional Jazz'. But he told them all to go ^#*% themselves - to him he'd said all he had to say in that genre and he wanted to keep evolving (and make money). Again, 'Jazz' got it's start as a dance music, party music not the high'brow elitist music that it was turned into by marketing people.
Never, never have I considered myself a 'Smooth Jazz' musician. My music contains elements of jazz, R&B, Soul, Rock and music from ethnic cultures. But radio needs to 'pigeon hole' your sound and marketing folks need to brand you in short, quick easy to understand phrases - so you get dumped into this pile with folks whose music may or may not have the same quality or basic philosophy as what you are trying to achieve.
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Jazz Nazi. Haha. Love it! :happy:
You're right, Jeanne. Jazz critics and traditional jazz fans are so narrow-minded when it comes to what jazz music is. What I find interesting is that they all say the same thing. It's like they're reading from the "Non-Traditional Jazz Hater's Guide Book." Take a look at a typical "review" by allmusic.com critic Scott Yanow.
Altoist Eric Marienthal (who is also heard on tenor, soprano and baritone) plays well throughout One Touch but he is the only reason to acquire this disc. The backup, which includes keyboardist-producer Jeff Lorber, a few vocalists and guest appearances from pianist David Benoit and bassist John Patitucci, is mostly pretty anonymous. The originals are forgettable and usually fade out when the music gets too heated. With all of the selections clocking in between three-and-a-half and almost five minutes, potential radio airplay was obviously the main purpose behind the music, which is consistently commercial, accessible, mildly soulful and very predictable. At best, One Touch succeeds as background music but a close listen will frustrate listeners who know that Eric Marienthal is capable of much more.
According to Mr. Yanow, the backup musicians are bad because they stay "anonymous." Um, isn't that what backup musicians are suppose to do? I love his quote about how "potential radio airplay was obviously the main purpose behind the music." That comment is typical in his reviews. Apparently, Eric is an artist that wants to make money and get fans by having his music played on radio. Who does he think he is!? Seriously, what artist doesn't want airplay, fans, and a steady paycheck? :blink:
And what exactly is "a close listen?" You're either listening to the music or you're not. And fans will be frustrated because "Eric Marienthal is capable of much more." Really? Funny, anytime I've listened to (oh, excuse me..."closely" listened to) a song by an artist I liked, I either liked the song or I didn't. I've never been "frustrated" thinking they were "capable of much more." Sounds like something you'd say to your kid.
As for the originals being "forgettable." I agree somewhat. There are some duds on that album. But most albums are like that. But there are some songs that are memorable. Most of Yanow's reviews are like this. However, if you go to his website, he says that he "loves all eras of jazz and blues." Really!? You have a funny way of showing it. Look, I don't expect a critic to like all forms of music, but why in the world would you review a genre (or sub-genre) that you clearly loathe?
Not only does it make you look like a douche, but it's useless to those who do like it. I'd say about 90% of the jazz albums I like have scathing reviews. And they pretty much all say the same thing. "Predictable background music," "anonymous backup musicians," "clearly written for commercial airplay." Gee, thanks Mr. Critic. You've been really helpful. Now I know what to buy and what to pass up. :yawn:
In addition to jazz being a business like any other genre, "jazz nazi's" don't seem to realize that jazz is a melding of genres. It's rock, it's R&B, it's blues, it's pop. Combined in various forms, improvised, and jazzed-up. That's why I have a tremendous amount of respect for Miles Davis. He understood both. He never stayed with any style for too long. He was always evolving and willing to try new things. Sadly, few artists have that mindset. They're comfortable staying where they are. Never really going out on a limb to try something new, at the risk of it being a flop.
While I have a lot of respect for Miles, I've never really cared for his music. You hear jazz fans all the time saying how "Kind of Blue" is one of the best jazz albums ever made. I honestly don't get it. Sure, it's thoughtful and "cool," but it's also rather dull. The title track, in particular, seems like it's just the same few notes over and over. The only Miles Davis album I like is "Aura." Which was one of his last recordings. I love it because it's unlike any album he ever did. In fact, it's unlike any album you'll probably ever hear! Especially "Yellow." Love that song! :biggrin:
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I agree about 'Aura' but, also like 'Tutu' the Marcus Miller produced album denounced by critics as 'too commercial" - ummmm, yeah because it's radio friendly, funky music and appeals to a broad spectrum of music listeners! True, Miles at the end of his career made some duds - he didn't seem to know what he wanted to do but, he knew he didn't want to do anything he'd already done. He suffered from 'Star Syndrome' - everyone in his inner circle was in someway tied to him as a source of finance - consequently they all agreed with anything he wanted to do - he had no sincere people looking out for his interests and no one willing to say 'Hey, luv ya man, but that's crap!' except music critics whom he didn't respect anyway. Having lost all the musicians who really mattered to him - the true pioneers of 'BeeBop' John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Eric Dolphy, Thelonious Monk, Gil Evans - all of whose music he ripped-off to create himself (since most of them self destructed - there were no challengers when he was crowned a genius) he had no direction to follow. He wasn't the pioneer history has made him - they were - he simply out lived them!
Still that's no excuse for the 'Traditional Jazz' snobs to restrict 'all that is true jazz' to the 'BeeBop' era (which as I mentioned they can never recreate or equal). They leave no room for growth of the genre! But then too you have to wonder - when listening to John Coltrane at the end of his career or Art Ensemble of Chicago - where did they leave any room for anyone to go. They took the music so far into the avant-garde - no one could follow. Excuse me for wanting a melody I can hum - that lifts me out of my trite little funk and causes me to snap my fingers. Yes, I'm guilty of enjoying David Sanborn more than Coltrane (they may revoke my degree from Berklee College of music and remove me from the NAACP for saying so). And as you mentioned, what's so wrong about wanting to be played on the radio? What's so wrong about appealing to people of a broad range instead of a little narrow fringe?
And who anoints these music critics anyway? I mean what exactly is their talent or contribution to society except to criticize others who do have talent and are contributing to the culture which binds our society and elevates us to something more than 'make-the-donuts', work-alcoholics!
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I found this "critique" of "smooth jazz" a few days ago...
"R.I.P. Smooth Jazz, 1985-2008?"
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/rip-smooth-jazz-1985-2008/ (http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/rip-smooth-jazz-1985-2008/)
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there's a reply to it Nick ;)
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/rip-smooth-jazz-round-two/ (http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/rip-smooth-jazz-round-two/)
The dude is a Smooth Jazz Hater and criticizes Jeff Lorber and Smooth Jazz itself so i see Smooth jazz Never leaving anytime soon.