It all started with and idea and a dream!
I've been a fan of Jazz music since I started listening to my father's Jazz LP's as a kid. Growing up in Brooklyn, while everyone was listening to Soul and Top-40, I became a fan of New York's legendary radio station, WRVR.
The station was the home to some of the city's finest jazz music. Many of the Disc Jockeys, such as Les Davis were apt to give historical insights to the music of Armstrong, Basie, Ellington, Holiday, etc.
When the radio station abruptly left the airwaves in 1980 and changed formats to Country music, I was left heartbroken and angry. For a time, I didn't listen to Country until I met my wife, Kelly, who is a big Country fan. (Opposites attract!!)
When I graduated from high school, I attended Sullivan County Community College in 1981. It was there that I managed to find Les Davis, one of the original WRVR disc jockeys. This time, he moved to an all night jazz radio show on WVNJ. Back then, the station used to broadcast it's signal all the way up to Sullivan County.
I remember the show being on at 7pm and would continue through 7am, when it would go back to play easy listening music. When that radio station left the airwaves in 1986 in favor of Top 40 music, I was left with another void to fill.
Moving to California...and a disturbing trend!
After graduating from college, I moved to Northern California in 1987. There, I was exposed to three great radio stations, KJAZ, which was the traditional jazz station for over 30 years,
KBLX, nicknamed "The Quiet Storm", which played more R&B than jazz, but was still a great listening radio station,
and KKSF, a smooth jazz radio station that revolutionized the format in 1987. The one aspect that made KKSF unique at the time was their ability to play music that no one else heard of. Artists like Michael Tomlinson, the Yellowjackets, Julia Fordham and others. (Note: On May 18th, 2009; KKSF ended it's run as a smooth jazz FM radio station when it changed its format to classic rock.)
Upon moving back East in the late 90's, I noticed a disturbing trend in the radio industry. Many radio stations were being gobbled up by corporate conglomerates, who's only job was not to put good music on the air, but to make money and generate ratings.
Many radio stations such as KKSF were bought and their playlist conformed to play only popular jazz and R&B music. Other radio stations like KJAZ were sold and the formats turned over to something more profitable.
The trend was evident when I moved to Syracuse. In 1997, Central New York had a Smooth Jazz radio station called, "Smooth FM CD 106.9, WHCD". Because it was owned by a small group of local investors, they had no chance against big-named companies such as Clear Channel and Citadel when it came to advertising dollars.
I became frustrated by corporate radio's lack of diversity and it's drive for the almighty dollar. The eventual sale and format change in the September, 2000 was the last straw for me.
When you have to get things done...
I decided that I had enough of corporate broadcasting's dominance of FM radio. I branched out on my own and formed my own radio station on the internet. Smooth Jazz and More was born.
With the help of Live365.com and a bunch of my own CD's, I brought back radio to the way it supposed to be, music without boundaries. No time limits. No consultants. The format all done my way!
Internet radio takes us back to the days when FM radio was in its infancy. Music artists that would never be played on commercial radio because of lack of recognition.
Unfortunately, the Internet broadcasting community is under attack by the same individuals who see us as a threat to their well being. 
Corporate terrestrial broadcasters and record companies, along with their allies in Washington, D.C. have seized the opportunity to levy unreasonable royalties on Internet radio broadcaster. This threat has put our radio station and many others like it on the brink of extinction.
With the help of Live365.com, SaveNetRadio.org, and other active partners, our struggle for parity will succeed.
Celebrating 10 Years of Broadcasting!
In July, 2011; “Smooth Jazz and More” celebrated its 10th anniversary of Internet broadcasting on Live365.
This is a monumental achievement, given the fact that this has been basically a hobby for me. I started this Internet radio in 2001 simply to listen to my favorite music on my computer anywhere in the world.
From its humble roots, my Internet radio station has grown to an official website, our two blogs, an official gift shop (CafePress), a podcast highlighting various music artists, and our entry into social media (Facebook, Twitter). With the help of Live365, you can now listen to “Smooth Jazz and More” on any smartphone (Blackberry, iPhone or Android) and in your car.
“Smooth Jazz and More” has been a labor of love for me, designed to advance interest in Jazz music. I intend to continue broadcasting well into the next decade for as long as we can. But it’s so very important that we get as much help as possible. Many Internet radio stations on Live365 have either shut down due to high maintenance costs (royalties, admin., etc.) or because of weaning interest due to other brand name broadcasters (Pandora, etc.).
My Internet radio station faces the prospect of shutting down everyday, but we’ve survived due to the support of our listeners by way of Live365 VIP memberships, purchases from our CafePress gift shop, and advertisements on our websites and blogs. I hope you’ll consider a Live365 VIP subscription purchasing from our other ventures. Just go to my website at http://www.smoothjazzandmore.com and click on the VIP banner on any of the webpages.
During the month of July, I will be airing congratulatory salutations from some very special guests, as well as conducting a special contest exclusively for “Smooth Jazz and More” listeners. I hope you listen in!
I’d like to thank everyone who’ve listened to “Smooth Jazz and More” on Live365 during the last 10 years. Your support has been extremely generous to our success!
mj
