Contemporary Jazz Guide: Origins of Contemporary Jazz

Contemporary jazz is an umbrella term for the diverse array of new music in the jazz idiom produced and recorded in the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century. The umbrella term encompasses two main subgenres: Modern jazz and smooth jazz. Modern jazz, which draws influence from pop music, funk, and ’60s jazz fusion, became popular among jazz enthusiasts and casual listeners alike in the 1980s and 1990s. The subgenre draws on diverse elements, from hip-hop to rock and world music, but retains the improvisation and modal chord structure of post-big band, bebop, and hard bop.

Smooth jazz is even further removed from its traditional jazz roots, favoring pleasant and uncomplicated melodies, with little improvisation by practitioners, like the bands Spyro Gyra and Yellowjackets. Thanks partly to an array of smooth jazz radio stations that substituted smooth jazz music for the easy listening radio format, the subgenre has enjoyed a long stint in the mainstream. Notable smooth jazz artists include Boney James, George Duke, saxophonist Kenny G, and trumpeter Chuck Mangione.

The origins of contemporary jazz are rooted in traditional jazz of the twentieth century and skew toward the genre-bending sounds of jazz fusion and avant-garde jazz.

• Crafting the sound. Legendary jazzmen like Miles Davis, who merged rock and funk with his post-bop sound, and saxophone futurist Ornette Coleman, who explored the furthest reaches of free jazz, informed modern jazz’s willingness to experiment with different musical forms. The hard-swinging street jazz of New Orleans, as practiced by jazz artists Wynton and Branford Marsalis, and non-American jazz styles, like New York hip-hop and soul, wielded considerable influence over the modern iteration of contemporary jazz.
• Jazz fusion’s role. Jazz fusion also informed the origins of smooth jazz: the cascading keyboards of ECM Records artists like Chick Corea can be heard as a more complex take on the synthesizers that fuel music by the smooth jazz quintet the Rippingtons. The breezy sound of West Coast jazz, as practiced by musicians like Wes Montgomery, and R&B/jazz hybrids like Fourplay, featuring Bob James, also strongly influenced the subgenre.
• Adult contemporary’s influence. The most significant forerunner of the smooth jazz sound is the adult contemporary (AC) music format, which pulled together soft rock, like the band Chicago, pop, easy listening, and high-gloss R&B in the style of vocalists like Sade. Many smooth jazz musicians started in AC, like Mangione, singer Anita Baker, and Grammy-winning guitarist George Benson, who rose to the top of the pop, jazz, and R&B charts with his 1976 album Breezin.

Several characteristics define contemporary jazz in its modern jazz and smooth jazz forms:

1. 1. Crossover: Both modern and smooth jazz are noted for crossover by their artists between genres and music formats. Kamasi Washington has served as collaborator and sideman to traditional jazz performers such as Herbie Hancock, alt-rock musicians like St. Vincent, and electronic dance music talent Flying Lotus. Saxophone player David Sanborn is known for smooth jazz but has performed with an incredible array of diverse talent, from James Brown to Ween. Programmers at smooth jazz radio stations frequently fill out their playlists with artists outside of their demographic, from Al Jarreau to Norah Jones.
2. 2. Diversity: Though jazz is considered a Black American art form, primarily populated by male artists, both forms of contemporary jazz feature artists of all races and gender identities. Black musicians, such as George Benson and saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr., have succeeded in smooth jazz, as have white horn players, such as Dave Koz and Boney James. In modern jazz, white performers like Brad Mehldau, South Asian pianist Vijay Iyer, and Black trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire are celebrated for their talents.
3. 3. Melody: Pleasing melodies are at the heart of smooth jazz, which favors simple, pop-oriented structures and R&B-styled arrangements, with little room (or need) for soloists. For modern jazz, the melody is equally crucial, but as with the modal scene, it’s a means by which the musicians can stretch out and find new means of expression outside of the chords.

There are several notable jazz artists in both the modern and smooth sides of contemporary jazz. Among the most noteworthy are:

1. 1. Boney James: Four-time Grammy nominee Boney James (born James Oppenheim) played with funk and R&B performers such as Morris Day and the Isley Brothers. His music leans more toward the soul and R&B sides of smooth jazz than many of his contemporaries. Named by Billboard as one of the top contemporary jazz artists in 2009, he’s issued more than 10 chart-topping albums between 1992 and 2020.
2. 2. Esperanza Spalding: Berklee School of Music graduate Esperanza Spalding scored a critical and chart hit with her third album, Chamber Music Society, which broke the Top 40 on the Billboard 200 and earned her a Grammy award. She’s noted for her fluid musical influences—everyone from jazz bassist Ron Carter to Joni Mitchell—and her ability to switch from standup to electric bass in performance.
3. 3. Kamasi Washington: Mentorship under jazz great Billy Higgins led to Kamasi Washington’s debut as a quartet with pianist Cameron Graves, bassist Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner, and his brother, drummer Ronald Bruner. As a solo talent, Washington’s debut, The Epic, earned a rapturous critical response for its expansive scope and game-changing sound.
4. 4. Kenny G: Former funk and fusion saxophonist Kenny Gorelick, who records as Kenny G, has earned the ire of jazz purists for his comforting wall of sound on tracks like the Top 5 hit “Songbird.” The phenomenally successful jazz and crossover artist has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide.

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