Friday, January 16, 2009

Sad for whom?

How Circuit City's demise is affecting the smooth jazz industry.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't you think its sad? For 34,000 people who are now jobless and for everybody else this effects - such as the musicians who will need to find other outlets for there music...

Andrew Durkin said...

Hi Joan -- thanks for your comment!

Of course, I hate to see anybody out of a job in these tough economic times. But I'm conflicted. Call me crazy, but I think the world might be just a little better off if there was a bit less smooth jazz in it.

Is that too harsh?

Anonymous said...

I occasionally find myself in a burger joint or whatever where they're playing a smooth jazz station, and the term seems to encompass the likes of Stevie Wonder and Pat Metheny, and the worst of it is less objectionable to me than 90% of what's on the radio, so all I can do is shrug when musicians and hipsters hate on it.

Andrew Durkin said...

Well, I for one certainly wouldn't include Stevie Wonder or Pat Metheny under the "smooth jazz" heading.

I also wouldn't say I "hate on" smooth jazz... I just, as I said, wouldn't mind very much if there was a little less of it in the world. Would that be so horrible? Think of the children! (Kidding. Don't worry about the children, they'll take care of themselves.)

I don't listen to the radio much, so I can't really comment on that...

Anonymous said...

Well, I guess you're disqualifying them on the grounds that part of your definition is that it sucks, in which case it makes sense that you'd want less of it. I just think it's a silly label radio format, like "urban contemporary" or "classic rock," in which case anything that gets played on the station qualifies. But I fear I'm thinking about this too much.

Anonymous said...

I think it's more than a format. It's an army of musicians who have sanded down this music's sharp edges for the sake of making more money.

Not everybody should want to be Coltrane, of course, but it is very frustrating to see incredibly innovative--and accessible--artists get overlooked in favor of the backdrop for your local 5-day forecast.

Anonymous said...

Hey Andrew - I hear you... but in my old age, (not really that old) have realized that if a person can make a living doing what they like or on the other hand stick to there principles and starve - making a living wins every time. Apparently, there are enough people who listen to smooth jazz, and who probably wouldn't listen to any other kind of music or jazz... so - who am I to judge :-) but I do get your point.