"Jazzman" is a 1974 song performed by

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

, from her album ''

Wrap Around Joy ''Wrap Around Joy'' is the sixth album by American singer and songwriter Carole King, released in 1974. The album peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart in late 1974 and spun off successful singles with " Jazzman", which rea ...

''. King composed the music for the song, while David Palmer (formerly of

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band formed in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in 1971 by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Originally having a traditional band lineup, Becker and Fagen cho ...

) wrote the lyrics. The song is best known for its lengthy

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

solos, performed by Tom Scott, while King sings an ode to 'the Jazzman' and the effect he has on her.

Curtis Amy Curtis Edward Amy (October 11, 1927 – June 5, 2002) was an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Amy was born in Houston, Texas, United States. He learned how to play clarinet before joining the Army, and during his time in service, picked up t ...

, saxophonist, composer, and former musical director for the Ray Charles band, was the 'jazz man' of the song. After being released in August, the song rose on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It peaked at the #2 spot for a week in mid-November 1974 (stuck behind " You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" by Bachman Turner Overdrive). In King's hometown of New York, "Jazzman" hit No. 1 on the WABC Musicradio 77 Survey for the week of November 12. The song also reached No. 4 on the ''Billboard''

easy listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary music, adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on ...

.Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications) The B-side of the "Jazzman" single was "You Go Your Way, I'll Go Mine". "Jazzman" is also prominently featured in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' episode

'Round Springfield "Round Springfield" is the twenty-second episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 30, 1995.. In the episode, Bart (Nancy Cartwright) is hos ...

", sung by

Yeardley Smith Martha Maria Yeardley Smith ( ; born July 3, 1964) is an American actress. She stars as the voice of Lisa Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. Smith began acting in 1982 after graduating from drama school. She moved to ...

Lisa Simpson Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television sitcom series ''The Simpsons''. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa was born as a character in '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' short ...

; it is presented as a duet between Lisa and the ghost of recurring character

Bleeding Gums Murphy The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The writ ...

, who plays the saxophone.

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described "Jazzman" as one of King's most commercial songs, and praised the

playing and backup vocals. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that "the artist's unique vocal is powerfully backed by strong horns and a great pop arrangement." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that its King's "most animated single...since '

I Feel the Earth Move "I Feel the Earth Move" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Carole King, for her second studio album ''Tapestry'' (1971). Additionally, the song is one half of the double A-sided single, the flip side of which was " It ...

'" and "features the fine sax solos of Tom Scott, along with her own strong overdubbing." "Jazzman" was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

in the category

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

, losing out to

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...

's song "

I Honestly Love You "I Honestly Love You" is a song recorded by Olivia Newton-John and released in 1974 on the album '' Long Live Love'' in the United Kingdom and '' If You Love Me, Let Me Know'' in the United States. The song became a worldwide pop hit, her fi ...

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links