Bowing to the band: Spotlighting the musicians of smooth jazz

OF SMOOTH JAZZ

By Melanie Maxwell

The curtains rise. Lights shine on the musicians who are already positioned on set as the drums, guitar, bass and keyboards come alive with an exciting intro to a popular song. Suddenly, their boss, the star of the show, bursts onto the stage, and the musical theatrics begin! For 90 minutes, they keep us entertained and temporarily eclipse any personal problems we’re facing, national disasters, or the divisiveness and crises that have gripped our country. They serve us one hit after another throughout a musical journey, engagingly choreographed from kickoff to crescendo, seemingly spontaneously. But, it isn’t spontaneous at all.

The talented men and women who accompany the name on the marquee have spent years educating themselves and practicing their craft, and countless hours rehearsing, studying charts and set lists, as well as nailing the nuances of each particular show. They frequently live out of suitcases. Relay-racing to airports, piling into vans (or, if they’re lucky, a tour bus), speeding off to the next hotel, rushing to sound check, foraging for food at ridiculous hours, and, at times, tracking lost luggage and equipment while dealing with canceled flights or missed connections–they do it all just to make it to the next gig and entertain us. Yet, they look so cool onstage.

Their reward is doing what they love and what they were born to do. In special moments, we also get glimpses into their precise skills and personalities when the star performer turns a solo spotlight on each band member to allow their individual talents to shine on center stage. That’s when we get to applaud their efforts.

These talented musicians, some solo artists in their own right, deserve an extended encore. That’s why, after nearly 10 years, I am publishing this tribute to the sidemen and women of smooth jazz.

It was an extremely labor-intensive, several-month process to make this happen. We contacted each musician via email or phone, requested information about his or her listings, followed up, factchecked, etc. Some emails bounced, so drummer Tony Moore helped us gather current contact information. We also announced it on our Facebook page, ran a full-page ad in the October-November edition notifying all sidemen and women about this section, stacked copies of that issue in the dressing rooms at the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival, told all of the musicians who passed by our booth in These talented musicians, some solo artists in their own right, deserve an extended encore. the Catalina Casino, about this opportunity and sent several follow-up emails advising of the final deadline. People who responded in time have listings included in this issue, which offers a view of the path each of them has traveled to reach this level in their career. Those who didn’t respond are listed by name under their respective instrument category. Although many of these musicians are satisfied with their role on the side, others have felt the need to expand their creativity by stepping out into solo careers. This year, I am highlighting three sidemen/woman who have branched out with their own projects. I chose one from each band on the current Christmas tour circuit—Dave Koz and Friends Christmas, A Peter White Christmas, and Norman Brown’s Joyous Christmas—and who also recently recorded a new CD of their own. I hope you enjoy these profiles of the people who offer us so much soulful enrichment and remind us how great it feels to immerse ourselves in the magic of a live performance. As we celebrate the holidays, I would like to express my gratitude for and recognize the band members and emerging artists who keep us entertained year-round.