Cole Miners Music: Throwback to Smooth, Chill and laid back sounds of jazz

Since it is Throwback Thursday and my fam is in town for the weekend, I am feeling a little nostalgia for classic music from my childhood. I remember being around 6 or 7 and being picked up from after school and listening to the smooth jazz stations while riding in the back. Smooth jazz really isn't that entertaining especially when you are a kid, but periodically i would stay up and tune in. Some artists were the equivalent to watching paint dry, while others like the band Icognito were, even as a kid, were entertaining enough keep my interest.

This British jazz band was formed in 1979 and found success with their debut album Jazz Funk in 1981. Led by front man, singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and guitarist Jean Paul "Bluey" Maunick, Incognito's 15 member rotation kept changing but they continued to succeed with over 13 albums following their debut.

"Step Into My Life"

"Colibri"

"Still a friend of mine"

"Lowdown"

Herbie Hancock:

Pioneering the sound of funk mixed with digital, Herbie Hancock is a legendary Chi-town pianist, composer, band leader, keyboardist whose experiments in sounds and synthesizers have changes the rhythm of jazz forever. Best known for his solo works including, "Cantaloupe Island", "Watermelon Man" (later performed by dozens of musicians, including bandleader Mongo Santamaría), "Maiden Voyage", "Chameleon", and the singles "I Thought It Was You" and "Rockit". His 2007 tribute album River: The Joni Letters won the 2008 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, only the second jazz album ever to win the award after Getz/Gilberto in 1965. His musical career started in the early 1960's and he has gone on to produce and drop over 40 albums worldwide.

"Cantaloupe Island"

"Watermelon Man"

"Rock It"

Soul II Soul

One of the great things about being an 80's baby is the explosion of jazz, rap, and R&B that took place in the late to early 90's. I would strongly consider this the golden age for certain genres of music because of the variety of great talent and the invasion of good music on mainstream radios. One of these many acts to hit the scene were the British group Soul II Soul.

First attracting attention as a sound system that would play in many house parties and clubs, Soul II Soul (founded by Jazzie B and a changing roster of other musicians) later signed to Virgin Records and dropped their debut album Club Classics Vol. 1/ Keep On Movin' in 1988. Although the album was failed to place on the UK Top 40 chart, Soul later acheived commercial success with their hit singles "Keep On Movin" and "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)". Their album later reached number one and was certified triple platinum. With critical and commercial acclaim, Soul became international stars as their debut album reached number one in the US and later won them two Grammy's.

Their follow up sophomore album titled "Vol II: 1990-A New Decade" also reached number one and spawned two hit singles "Get a Life" and "A Dream's a Dream". The group went on to release 4 more albums, their last one in 1997, but failed to reach the same success as time and mainstream musical interest began to shift.

"Back to Life"