Friday, July 6, 2012

Chart, Listen, Buy, Chill with SmoothJazz.com’s Weekly Music Charts


With midsummer temps hovering near the boiling point, the last thing you want to do is trudge around Internet seeking out tunes to cool down too.  No worries, Smooth Jazz Global Radio provides the ice the in your Margarita.  Innovative and easy, just navigate your web browser to SmoothJazz.com’s Top 50, Top 50 Indie or check the tunes on the radar at Radar Chart.   
Top 50 

Support your favorite artist.  Smooth Jazz Global Radio charts give you the info, artist website, buy CDs, download, all by clicking the album cover. 


Don't forget SmoothJazz.com is with you always on it's new mobile device app.  Apps feature live streaming music, purchase options, charts, social connectivity, festivals and the famous Listening Loft.  SmoothJazz.com and SmoothLounge.com fans can enjoy tunes anywhere from a coffee house to a bluetooth equipped automobile. 

iTunes DOWNLOAD : SmoothJazz.com Radio App
iTunes DOWNLOAD : SmoothLounge.com Radio App

Keep updated on mobile and wifi options at www.smoothjazz.com/mobile/


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

SmoothJazz.com Chills Summer’s Swelter with Exclusive World Premieres All Season Long


  • Artists join radio personality and SJ.com founder Sandy Shore for a track by track tour of their new recordings the weekend before release
  • Ease back with contemporary jazz greats Al Jarreau, Lisa McClowry, Gerald Albright and Norman Brown 
  • Listen anywhere live on the SJ.com iPhone and iPad app

Monterey, CA - May, 30 2012 - Summer’s sultry temps are sure to chill with never before heard smooth tunes debuting on SmoothJazz.com this season.  Always on the cutting edge, the SJ.com crew brings the music before fans can even purchase it.  Global audiences will hear every track two days before the album is available with commentary from Sandy Shore and the artist.   

“It’s truly an honor to be invited to play the full album of major recording artists on our station first,” said Sandy Shore, founder of SmoothJazz.com.  “The SJ.com crew is also very excited that the summer premieres will reach a new audience with our new iPhone and iPad apps.” 

Lisa McClowry : Sings Acoustic Alchemy
SmoothJazz.com World Premier : Sun, June 10, 2012 (12 PM PDT)
Release date : June 12, 2012

Musical synergy is a delicate thing- but when it’s right the results are breathtaking. Such is the collaboration of International Vocalist Of The Year nominee Lisa McClowry on her brand new cd- Lisa McClowry Sings Acoustic Alchemy. By teaming up with the award winning British instrumental group, the two entities have created magic.

The strong melodies of the Acoustic Alchemy’s most well- loved songs have now met with the lyrical skills of Lisa and Grammy- winning producer/ songwriter (“Eye Of The Tiger”), Jim Peterik and Lisa’s four octave range to evoke many shivers up the spine moments.

Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale- Acoustic Alchemy add their guitar prowess to every song making the tracks sparkle with their unmistakeable syle.

“It was a thrill for me to stretch my boundaries as a vocalist on this project,” states Lisa. “Because Acoustic Alchemy’s songs are so broad- based I can legitimately hop between genres- smooth jazz,(“Teach You Tonight”) new age,(“Celebration Day”) gospel, (“Brand New Halleluja’) r & b/ Hot AC (Come Inside) – pop (“Beautiful Mess) and even to country,(“Love Me Back Home’) without losing the coherency of the musical thread.”

Gerald Albright & Norman Brown : 24/7
SmoothJazz.com World Premier : Saturday, June 16, 2012 (12 PM PDT)
Release date : June 19, 2012

Contemporary jazz greats Gerald Albright and Norman Brown have been working overtime to produce “24/7,” their first album together. This June 19, 2012 release on Concord Jazz offers ten killer soul-jazz tracks of music that never sleeps.

Ever since the debut of Norman Brown’s critically acclaimed 2002 album, “Just Chillin’” – which won a GRAMMY® in the Best Pop Instrumental Category – this innovative and original guitarist has been front and center in the fast evolving fusion of pop, R&B and jazz that has captured the imagination of true music aficionados across the country and around the world.

On “24/7,” Brown teams up with saxophone master Gerald Albright, whose high-profile recordings have established the Los Angeles-based musician as one of the most prominent artists and a true “musicians' musician.” Whether he is playing contemporary or straight-ahead jazz, Albright stands in a class all by himself. His 2010 release, “Pushing The Envelope,” received a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album.


Al Jarreau : Al Jarreau and the MetropoleOrkest
SmoothJazz.com World Premier : Sunday, June 17, 2012 (10AM PDT)
Release date : June 19, 2012

Al Jarreau has little interest in boundaries or preconceived limitations. Since the mid-1970s, this versatile singer hasapplied his distinctive and instantly recognizable vocal style – a unique combination of lyrical swing and captivating vocalese – to a broad spectrum of musical genres. With this eclectic approach, he has earned much success along the way – enough to position him as the only vocalist in history to claim Grammy Awards in the three distinct genres of jazz, pop and R&B.

After nearly five decades of recording and performing, at an age when many artists are coasting if not retiring altogether, Jarreau continues to take his music to new and different places, literally and figuratively. The most recent chapter in this journey is Al Jarreau and the Metropole Orkest - Live, a collection of the best performances from a two-night engagement at the Theater aan de Parade, located in Den Bosch, Netherlands. The recording finds Jarreau onstage with a 53-pieceorchestra from northern Europe whose collective expertise encompasses the best elements of classical music, American jazz and all the nuanced places in between. Al Jarreau and the Metropole Orkest – Live is set for release on Concord Records on June 19, 2012.

Led by conductor and arranger Vince Mendoza (winner of numerous Grammys in his own right), the album makes its way through 11 songs from Jarreau’s vast body of work – but this time with full orchestral arrangements that force even the most die-hard Jarreau fan to hear them in a new way.

“A lot of people will have heard these songs before, but never in quite this way,” says Jarreau. “This orchestra places them in an entirely new setting. There are new phrases andinterpretations here. There are solos that they didn’t hear on the original recordings. What comes through loud and clear is that you can reinvent and reinvigorate and restore existing music and make it into a completely contemporary experience.”

###

Contact Info:
Ryan Whaley 
970-485-0670

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Smooth Radio Goes Mobile with the Launch of Free iPad and iPhone Apps

Listen to your favorite Smooth Jazz and Chill Out artists anywhere for FREE with the new mobile Apps from SmoothJazz.com and SmoothLounge.com.  

•  Last Hour Playlist 
   Listen, Like and Buy
   Festival Schedules
   Connect with Artists 

 Partnering with radio app developer MyRadioGoGo, the brainchild of Slovenia morning radio man Saso Papp. The Smooth Crew and Papp created an easy to use app that offers listeners a truly mobile experience. “This collaboration totally pushed the edges of a radio app making it the station and store all in the palm of your hand, said Donna K. Phillips, Co-Founder & VP Operations & Design of SmoothJazz.com. “Designed to match the sophisticated nature of the music format while being easily functional and beneficial to the artists and festivals marketing efforts on our global platform.”



Apps feature live streaming music, purchase options, charts, social connectivity, festivals and the famous Listening Loft. SmoothJazz.com and SmoothLounge.com fans can now enjoy tunes anywhere from a coffee house to a bluetooth equipped automobile. 

iTunes DOWNLOAD : SmoothJazz.com Radio App
iTunes DOWNLOAD : SmoothLounge.com Radio App

Coming Soon for android and tablets!

About SmoothJazz.com

Defining Smooth Jazz for a world of listeners through the art of seamlessly fusing elements of jazz, r&b, pop, and world rhythms, Smoothjazz.com Radio streams a deep mix of music for a global audience. The station currently broadcasts an average of 7.5 million listener hours per month, while the site enjoys nearly 300,000 unique visitors on a monthly basis.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

SmoothJazz.com Global Radio signs with Green Door Mediaworks

A truly progressive Internet radio station requires a truly progressive media company to honcho and inspire its P.R. and social networking!

Green Door Mediaworks' trailblazer and founder, Ryan Whaley fits in perfectly with our hard working, technology-centric team at Smoothjazz.com... he totally gets what we're up to and where we're going! We have so much faith in him that we're offering his comprehensive and modern media services to our artist and label clients!

Green Door Mediaworks' services go well beyond traditional communications... which makes them ideal for our Smooth Global Radio properties.


SmoothJazz.com and it's subsidiaries have been pioneers of Internet radio since I acquired the domain name in 1995. Donna Phillips and I launched global broadcasting in 2000, when we saw terrestrial FM jazz stations closing all over North America and we have attempted to fill the void with is becoming the most popular way to listen to music.

We think of SmoothJazz.com as a human experience... more then just music streaming, but also cool DJ's, lifestyle information and social interaction via the website, festivals and events and social media channels.

For more information on Green Door Mediaworks : http://greendoormediaworks.com/

~Sandy Shore



SmoothJazz.com Surpasses Eight Million Monthly Tune Ins



   Quarter-million unique visitors to SmoothJazz.com Global Radio

   Facebook page continues to grow to nearly 14,000 Likes

Monterey, CA - April 09, 2012 - With worldwide Internet radio and track play continuing to increase, SmoothJazz.com sticks to its roots by providing the coolest new music from new and favorite contemporary jazz and pop artists to fit the tastes and lifestyle of its global audience.   While increasing its Internet listening presence to more then eight million tune-ins and a quarter-million unique visitors each month. 

SmoothJazz.com continues to see yearly growth while offering more products and services.  “We are excited with the steady growth and future of SmoothJazz.com” said founder and president, Sandy Shore. “However, remaining respectful to our listeners and providing them with an outlet that represents their sophisticated, yet relaxed lifestyle remains a core value.” 

SmoothJazz.com continues to provide successful marketing and branding services for genre artists as well as major recording labels and continues to diversify by offering public relations and social media services.  

Friday, January 27, 2012

The Smooth Life

by Sandy Shore • President/CEO SmoothJazz.com

Originally published in the 2011 Seabreeze Jazz Festival program, Panama City Beach, Florida.

What is Smooth Jazz?
Smooth Jazz is like a brand name for a blend of music that creates a certain vibe… a relaxed feeling… a loose mood.  Like recipes for all favorite dishes, Smooth Jazz blends can vary depending on your favorite ingredients… but for the most part the music genre includes elements of jazz, pop, R&B, soul and international flavors, especially partial to Latin, Brazilian, Reggae and African.

Also known as Contemporary Jazz, Fusion and Nu Jazz… “Smooth Jazz’ is a name that seems to be the most embraced by fans.  I think because it’s a name that’s easy to cuddle up to. Smooth is a great word in reference to so many things when describing the palatability of an item whether it’s food or drink or a person or a piece of clothing… and jazz, well, it truly is one of our greatest art forms… expressive, deep, interesting.  Combine these two words and you have fashionable depth. 

There is no such thing as “pure” Smooth Jazz because Smooth Jazz is not a pure music format… it’s a hybrid, a mix if you will of many sonic influences and hence why it is so well received across generations all over the world.

Smooth Is More Than Jazz... It's A Lifestyle
Smooth is a way to unwind and simplify in an otherwise complicated world.  With emails, texts, chats and phone calls swirling around us day in and day out, Smooth provides the possibility to reclaim our inherent nature of calm and tranquil.  When we nurture ourselves by our audio environment it seems that anything is possible.  When stress melts away, the feeling of autonomy takes over… Passports come out… and we are once again free to move about the planet exactly as we choose.

Smooth music lovers share a global community all over the world… It seems that people are seeking light and love and the frequency of this music offers brighter moods with joyful melodies and exceptional craftwork when it comes to musicianship and creativity.

Festivals, like this one are organized to draw large groups of like-minded people who feel the desire to gather and to surrender to a few days of live performance, high energy, culture, relaxation and refreshment.
These events are taking place all over the world… In the U.S. they take the form of a festival, and skilled event producers are also taking the music to the seas on fantastic cruises on large, luxury liners filled with friends, fans, and artists who all mingle to the music for 7 or more days!

Outside of the U.S. in other countries, late night Smooth gatherings occur around Chill Out music at historic venues such as castles on the coasts of the Mediterranean with late night lounging and imbibing.
Smooth knows no age or race… it is a one world – one music kinda groove… many songs, one love.

The Music… The Artists… The Future
Smooth Jazz artists range from fusion players to pop song writers… sometimes the most unusual musicians will end up on the Smooth Jazz playlist… like Slash from Guns n’Roses.  A beautiful song of his called “Obsession Confession” has been played on many Smooth Jazz stations for years… For us in the programming sector of this format, we listen for songs, like seeking gems… and that’s why you may hear something by an artist that would normally be considered another genre and hence again, why there is no such thing as “pure” Smooth Jazz.

Jazz artists don’t love the name Smooth Jazz, especially if they have an edgier side to their music… but the good news for them is that we will only select songs that fit the mix and fans will discovery their multi-faceted skills upon discovering them on our platform.  Smooth Jazz offers instrumentalists and jazz artists a home in a commercial setting while many other contemporary music formats ignore their offerings.

Smooth Jazz as a music format must evolve in order to sustain itself, the lifestyle and the Global message.  This means that the artists who were involved on the ground floor of this project need to continue to embrace change… welcome it and welcome new ideas and continue to be on the edge of the smooth… reinventing themselves… staying cool and fashionable deep and allowing for new talent to grow and perhaps even nurture more women to express themselves through jazz… something that has not been cultivated in the jazz culture outside of singing.

Programmers need to think about enhancing the sound with exciting, new artists that are making an emotional impact on society… is there room for Adele? Ceelo Green? John Legend? Lizz Wright? In my opinion, there needs to be.  We don’t need more oldies and classics in our blend… they had their time and they are legendary… but we are living in the 2nd decade of a new millennium and we need relevant music for the times in order to stay relevant.

Where’s My Smooth Jazz?
If you live in an area in the U.S. that no longer plays Smooth Jazz on your FM dial, it’s because the broadcasting company that owned the frequency has no longer found monetary success with the format in your market.  FM radio, not just Smooth Jazz FM, is monitored and rated by a company called Arbitron… their metrics used in rating stations can be challenging and confusing at times for participants and the data transmitted back to Arbitron is often hard to come by especially if it’s involving their new electronic device called a “People Meter.”  Unfortunately, these devices do not detect instrumental music well and therefore cannot give credit to the radio station playing it… hence many broadcasting corporations are pulling the plug on instrumental-based formats as without ratings, there is little revenue.

Fortunately, here on the Emerald Coast, WSBZ is family owned and operated and is finding other means to measure the success of their radio station…  They, like me, know that that the audience is very much out there, and very much listening and enjoying the music. 

By attending this festival and patronizing their advertisers you are keeping Smooth music alive in this community.  By paying attention to the music and consuming it as your budget allows, you are keeping Smooth Music alive in the U.S.

When radio people created this model of music programming and took it to market well over 20 years ago, they were responsible of launching so much more than a mix of music… they launched a way of life that has just begun to spread and morph all over this beautiful world.  Despite the loss of many great FM radio stations in this country, in my opinion, we’ve just started to make an impact with Smooth Jazz with the music readily available on-line, on satellite and on phones all over the world.

Keeping it Smooth
Smooth is here to stay… as we refine ourselves as people in civilized countries, we’ll continue to embrace things that offer us comfort, joy and light. We’ll opt for simple over complicated every chance we get and we’ll not only demand, but we’ll require a soundtrack that encourages our healing… It is in our nature to go where the light is.