LJC Community Conversations are designed to explore major ideas in the Latin Jazz world together as a community and inspire conversation through comments. My main motivator here is my belief that LJC readers hold a great deal of knowledge and passion around Latin Jazz, and I think that we can learn something from everyone. Whether you’re a seasoned Latin Jazz performer or a newcomer to the music, leave a comment and let your voice be heard!

This week’s Community Conversation focuses upon the collision of Smooth Jazz and Latin Jazz . . .

Smooth jazz icon Kenny G garnered considerable financial success from his many commercially appealing albums, but he met extensive resistance from the traditional jazz world. The general public responded enthusiastically to Kenny G’s unthreatening and relaxing instrumental pop music, buying his albums by the millions and attending his concerts in hoards. This generation of listeners, raised on pop and rock, couldn’t tell the difference between traditional jazz and Kenny G; to them he represented the new voice of jazz. Many traditional jazz artists, struggling to survive through an economically dry period in jazz history, took offense at the public’s embrace of Kenny G. A bitter battle ensued, where jazz musicians sought to educate the public about “real” jazz and keep the artistic integrity of their artform. While they made minor headway, Kenny G continued to release extremely successful albums, and built an even larger audience. Regardless of Kenny G’s classification within the music world, he completely reshaped the commercial landscape of instrumental music and changed the jazz world forever.

On February 5th, Latin Jazz fans will be confronted with the same issue when Concord Records releases Kenny G’s latest album, Rhythm and Romance. The album features a variety of Latin genres, including salsa and bossa nova, as well as several Latin standards such as “Besame Mucho” and “Sabor a Mi.” Kenny G enlisted several A-list Latin and studio musicians to create his sound, including Alex Acuña on drums, Ramon Stagnaro on guitar, John Peña and Nathan East on bass, Paulino Da Costa on percussion, and many more. The recording also includes Chilean star Barbara Munoz and Spanish pop/rock artist Camila. Kenny G shaped this recording around the theme of “Latin love songs,” releasing it in close proximity to Valentine’s Day. Based upon his past track record and the commercially aligned theme, Kenny G has created the potential to successfully merge Smooth Jazz with Latin Jazz and reach an enormous audience.

This creates a variety of aesthetic and artistic issues for the Latin Jazz world that will undoubtedly cause ripples for some time. Kenny G’s emphasis upon smooth commercial product undermines the cutting edge work of contemporary Latin Jazz artists like Marlon Simon or Insight. Young musicians inspired by Latin music may follow Kenny G’s path, seeking financial rewards, instead of challenging their musicianship and moving into innovative directions. The history of Latin music in the United States has already been convoluted through generic Latin dance crazes; this new development will most likely confuse people more. The album’s success will most likely spawn a new generation of Smooth Latin Jazz artists, taking album sales away from traditional Latin Jazz artists. In many ways, the Latin Jazz world will feel the impact of Kenny G’s entrance and the market landscape will change.

At the same time, a watered-down version of Latin Jazz that touches a wide audience may help spread the popularity of Latin Jazz. Kenny G has gathered a group of knowledgeable musicians to support him, and they are playing authentic rhythms on the album. This could inspire his listeners to seek more Latin music, leading them to Puente, Machito, and Palmieri. For many young musicians thrilled with rock, fusion became the front door into traditional jazz. Many of these musicians started listening Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and John Coltrane, and seeing the inherent challenge, broadening their musical abilities. Latin Jazz might experience the same trend; potentially, a flood of new musicians could bring unique influences into Latin Jazz. While it’s easy to see the negative impacts of Kenny G’s Latin Jazz album, the increased exposure for Latin Jazz could create positive results.

*Do you think that Kenny G’s Rhythm and Romance album will leave a negative effect upon the Latin Jazz world?

*What do you think that Smooth Latin Jazz has to offer?

Before making any comments, I’d encourage you to head over to the Amazon page for this album and listen to the sound samples. We should definitely stand up for our beliefs, and speak against or in support of this album. Let’s make informed statements though, not base our opinion upon Kenny G’s past recordings.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION!
Leave a comment below with your thoughts - should we be concerned about Kenny G’s interpretation of Latin Jazz? Should we just ignore it? Whatever your opinion, share it! I want every voice to be heard - your comment will be appreciated!

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I promised to give away two Latin Jazz CDs to the reader that left the most insightful comments on the first two Community Conversation posts. The response is a bit slow at this point, but fortunately, we’ve got CHAZRO putting in some good thoughts. He left thoughtful comments over the past two weeks, giving us a lot to consider. Thanks Chazro, I appreciate the input . . . and the CDs will be in the mail this week!