Any smooth jazz fans out there?

Much of it is bubblegum. However I keep returning to early Larry Carlton, particularly "Sleepwalk."

Hate it!!

I'm a great fan of all the artists you mention, but my favorites are Richard Elliott, Peter White and Craig Chaquico. When Brian Hughes first started, he reminded me a lot of Pat Metheny. When I lived in the Bay Area, they had some cool FM stations. However, I also enjoy Classical and Opera, so go figure!

As a staunch listener of Hard Bop jazz, the genre you refer to as "smooth jazz" in my opinion actually diminishes the genre of "jazz." I really get very little out of this "smooth jazz" and do not consider it to be "jazz." It should be termed "easy listening music."

I love all kinds of music, and all jazz, including smooth jazz. I love Jonathan Butler, Peter White, and especially Norman Brown. I have seen them all perform yearly for many years. I have to say that they have done some of the best concerts I have seen in recent years by far (along with Seal)and this is from somebody that also has a symphony subscription!!
Their CD's don't really even do them justice; a live performance is a whole new experience (same is true for a lot of music; also classical). The naysayers sound like the antogonists in the early days of rock and roll dissing the new genre; a little aloof.
The last Norman Brown concert I saw last year showed him to be one of the great guitarists out there today-simply amazing-he even did a short tribute to Jimi Hendrex, which sounded great.