Contemporary Jazz

Contemporary Jazz: 29 upcoming festivals, including 11 with tickets on sale.

Contemporary Jazz broadly encompasses a polished, accessible sound often characterized by smooth melodies, mellow rhythms, and a blend of traditional jazz instrumentation with electric guitars, synthesizers, and a generally relaxed, easy-listening atmosphere. Its origins lie in the evolution of jazz fusion and its subsequent blending with pop and easy-listening sensibilities, drawing heavily from the grooves of funk, rock, and R&B from the 1970s onwards. Iconic artists associated with this style include Kenny G, George Benson, and the Yellowjackets. This genre's widespread appeal has significantly broadened jazz's commercial reach, particularly through its smooth jazz subgenre.

Parent genreJazz