Welcome back to my slightly-reformatted blog. In the long period of time between this post and the ones that preceded it, there have been a few changes. Here's what happened.
-My live, and later pre-recorded satirical newscast, The Mad Mark Minute, came to an end on 1650 AM Radio Shalom.
-I left Radio Shalom after having worked there for four years (2007 - 2011).
-The title of this blog has reverted to On The Mark until I can think of something better.
-I did some remodeling (read: I changed the template, because it was time for a change after three years).
And now, to today's post.
Over the next two posts, I will be discussing smooth jazz, both as a musical genre and a radio format. In Part 1, I will be answering a question that I am frequently asked, which is "Why do you like smooth jazz?"
So, why exactly do you like smooth jazz?
As I said, I am often asked this question by my friends. "Why do you bother listening to this stuff?" they continue. "It's nothing more than elevator music, and it's really boring, etc." Well, today, I will answer this question as best as I can.
1. It's relaxing music.
After a long hard day, people often like to go home, relax, possibly put on some good music, and forget about their cares for a while. I sympathize with this. While I haven't held a job in several months, I still go out fairly often, and when I get back, I'm usually pretty tired. Once I finish with dinner, I go upstairs to my computer, and kick back with some smooth jazz. The stations I listen to - more on that in Part 2 - claim that they are "The smoothest place on your (my) radio (computer; I stream them all online)," and that is no misnomer. The music is easygoing, enjoyable, and a pleasure to listen to when I just want to relax and chat with people online, among other things.
2. It's better than listening to pop garbage, which is extremely repetitve.
In an earlier post (read: angry rant), I went in-depth about why I cannot stand contemporary music. Most radio markets around the world have three or more stations playing the same pop songs. If you hear one song on one of the CHR (contemporary hit radio; yes, I am a radio geek) stations, you're bound to hear it five minutes later or less on the others. People get annoyed with repetition, myself included. I don't care how good that Lady Gaga or Katy Perry song is; if it's overplayed (and they all are), then I'm not interested. I don't follow trends, and I don't usually like mainstream things simply because everyone else does. I am not a lemming, and I still fail to understand how the masses consume this sorry excuse for music.
Smooth jazz is different. It's a pretty broad genre, and every time I tune in to the numerous stations that I stream online, it's a new surprise every time. I love discovering new songs, which I subsequently add to my iPod. Plus, smooth jazz isn't loud and brash like most contemporary music is. By listening to it, you can tell that some real effort went into producing it. Pop music is the trans-fat of the music world - it's not good for you, and too much of it is a bad thing.
3. It's therapeutic.
People are always finding new and interesting ways to seek therapy, and listening to music is one of them. If you've had a bad day, all you need to do is go home, slip on the headphones or turn on the uber-expensive sound system, and voila, instant musical therapy. Smooth jazz is my musical therapy. Occasionally, I'll substitute regular jazz or something else, but I usually stick with my smooth jazz because it helps calm me down and make me feel better.
And there you have it. Those are the reasons why I like smooth jazz. I hope that answers the question sufficiently.
In Part 2, I'll be talking about smooth jazz as both a musical genre and radio format, and the problems it has faced in recent years. Stay tuned for that.
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