Hate it!!! That said, paraphrasing the Duke; "there's only 2 types of music, good & bad". While most music that could be considered 'smooth jazz' is really just instrumental pop, there are exceptions. The OP listed Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, Fourplay, & Spyro-Gyra. Anyone that doesn't recognize that Carlton, Ritenour, & 4play have incredibly mad chops is deluding themselves. The fact is, many of these musicians like to eat!! And there's gold in those 'smooth' hills! Not as much as there used to be but....Also, while much of the 'smooth' genre can be incredibly annoying to listen to (I'll grant the OP that much of it IS well recorded), the fact is many of these artists/bands can deliver the goods when playing live. Usually the smooth edge is tougher and the band has more liberty to stretch and jam. Just sayin'. For what it's worth, the only record I can listen to by Fourplay was their 1st, which I still own.
Any smooth jazz fans out there?
I've really become quite the smooth jazz fan over these past few years having Sirius radio and the Watercolors station. I've taken a liking to Brian Hughes smooth jazz guitar. Anyone know him? He's from California and performs that west coast sound. If you've ever heard the background music on the Weather Channel when they broadcast weather on the 8's, that's Brian Hughes. Listen over a great sound system and you'll love it. Also names such as Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton, Fourplay, Norman Brown, Euge Groove, Paul Taylor, Peter White, and the of course Spyro Gyra. Any feedback?