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Crossover Jazz
124 profiles tagged Crossover Jazz, A-Z.
Crossover jazz describes jazz-trained musicians of the 1970s and 1980s who deliberately incorporated pop, R&B, and radio-friendly production values to reach audiences beyond jazz's traditional listenership, blurring the line between jazz and popular music. It typically favors accessible melodies, vocal or vocal-adjacent hooks, and polished studio arrangements over extended improvisation. Guitarist George Benson and saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. are frequently cited as pioneers of the approach, which overlaps substantially with the smooth jazz that followed it.
Airto Moreira Al Jarreau ✦ 1940–2017 Angela Bofill ✦ 1954–2024 Antonio Carlos Jobim ✦ 1927–1994 Bill Withers ✦ –2020 Billy Cobham Bob James Bobbi Humphrey Bobby Hutcherson ✦ 1941–2016 Bobby McFerrin Cannonball Adderley ✦ 1928–1975 Charles Stepney ✦ 1931–1976 Chet Atkins ✦ 1924–2001 Chris Vadala ✦ 1948–2019 Cleveland Eaton ✦ 1939–2020 Cornell Dupree ✦ 1942–2011 Creed Taylor ✦ 1929–2022 Curtis Amy ✦ 1929–2002 Cyrille Aimée Dave Grusin Dave Koz Dave Samuels ✦ 1948–2019 David Broza David Sanborn ✦ 1945–2024 Dianne Reeves Don Grusin Don Potter Don Sebesky ✦ –2023 Duke Pearson ✦ 1932–1980 Earl Klugh Elad Levi Emiliano Vernizzi Eric Gale ✦ 1938–1994 Esther Phillips Eumir Deodato Filippo Cosentino Fima Chupakhin Flora Purim Fonce Mizell ✦ 1943–2011 Fourplay Freddie Hubbard ✦ 1938–2008 Gadi Stern Gato Barbieri ✦ 1932–2016 George Benson George Duke ✦ 1946–2013 Gerry Niewood ✦ 1943–2009 Grant Geissman Grover Washington Jr. ✦ 1943–1999 Guru ✦ 1961–2010 Hank Crawford ✦ 1934–2009 Harvey Mason Herbie Mann ✦ 1930–2003 Hōzan Yamamoto ✦ 1937–2014 Hubert Laws Idris Muhammad ✦ 1939–2014 Itamar Doari Jack McDuff ✦ 1926–2001 Jay Beckenstein Jay Collins Jean-Luc Ponty Jeremy Wall Jimmy Smith ✦ 1928–2005 Joe Sample ✦ 1939–2014 Joe Zawinul ✦ 1932–2007 Julio Fernández Jumaane Smith Kai Livermore Keiko Matsui Kekko Fornarelli Kenny Burrell Kenny G Kirk Whalum Larry Carlton Larry Dunn Larry Mizell Larry Rosen ✦ 1940–2015 Lee Ritenour Lonnie Liston Smith Louis Cato Luca Ciarla Marco Sinopoli Marcus Miller Maurice White ✦ 1941–2016 Michael Franks Milt Jackson ✦ 1923–1999 Nathan East Nnenna Freelon Norman Connors Omri Bar Giora Paquito D'Rivera Patrice Rushen Patti Austin Patti LaBelle Pete Turner ✦ 1934–2017 Phyllis Hyman ✦ 1949–1995 Quincy Jones ✦ 1933–2024 Ralph MacDonald ✦ 1944–2011 RAMP Ramsey Lewis ✦ 1935–2022 Randy Brecker Randy Crawford Roberto Tola Roger Kellaway Ronnie Laws Roy Ayers ✦ 1940–2025 Rudy Van Gelder ✦ 1924–2016 Scott Ambush Shalosh Shirley Scott ✦ 1934–2002 Spyro Gyra Stanley Clarke Stanley Turrentine ✦ 1934–2000 Stix Hooper The Blackbyrds The Crusaders Tom Schuman Tom Scott Toninho Horta Uri Sharlin Wayne Henderson ✦ 1939–2014 Wes Montgomery ✦ 1923–1968 Wilton Felder ✦ 1940–2015 Yemen Blues Yonatan Levy
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