One of the U.K.'s most compelling and charismatic radio personalities for over 15 years, Steve Quirk has long been, in the words of superstar saxophonist Dave Koz, "the 'go-to' guy for all things smooth jazz." As host of the wildly popular Fusion Flavours-which he launched on Good Friday, 1990 on Sunset Radio in his hometown of Manchester England. Quirk's irrepressible passion for the music he loves, and his unquenchable desire to share it with people worldwide, has made smooth jazz much more than an American phenomenon.
"Everything in my life is about passion, and everything I do revolves around my love for this music and exposing it to people who I'm sure would love it but haven't had the chance to hear it," Quirk says. "By doing interviews with top artists and injecting a bit of humour, I am also trying to give the hardcore smooth jazz listener more reasons to listen. Hosting my own show, I also have the wonderful freedom to play more obscure artists and songs among the more familiar sounds. The success of any show like this comes from how you blend the music together, making it flow nice and easy. But fans come to the music because of two things, groove and melody. Yes, since we call it jazz, you can have improvisation, but only if you get back to that groove and melody."
Quirk's evolving expertise in creating the perfect mix of these two elements-and his unquenchable desire to share the music he loves--has helped create a thriving market for American smooth jazz in his native Great Britain. While hosting the show on Jazz FM for eight years throughout the 90s, he compiled and was involved in 15 all-star double albums that sold an incredible 10-20,000 units each. He was instrumental in bringing top genre artists like Fourplay, Dave Koz, Peter White, Boney James and Rick Braun (plus the popular annual Guitars & Saxes tours) to the Hammersmith Apollo in London and the Manchester Apollo, along with his good friend and legendary London DJ Robbie Vincent, where they performed before thousands of enthusiastic British fans.
When he started as Head of Music for Jazz FM in 1999, the station's listenership was at 250,000; by the time he left in December 2002, it was at 1.2 million. He was so successful in getting record companies to import product that both Tower Records and the Virgin Megastores soon had "smooth jazz" bins in their London and Manchester locations. During this time, in his familiar role as DJ/host, he presented "smooth jazz in the afternoon" for Jazz FM Northwest. He was also a guest presenter at the first National Smooth Jazz Awards event in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas in 2000.
After two years of airing Fusion Flavours on BBC Radio in Manchester (2003 and 2004), Quirk has come full circle, currently hosting the show on the newly renamed Smooth FM on Sunday nights, while also hosting "Nonstop Smooth" four nights a week. The Fusion Flavours show has also been airing on Kiss FM Algarve in Portugal for eight years.
And now, in a newfangled but more genteel and cool-not to mention, cross-cultural-- twist on The British Invasion of 40 years ago, 2005 is the year Fusion Flavours finally hits America. Quirk's brilliant sense of what smooth jazz listeners like, combined with his infectious and charming personality, make him a perfect fit for the U.S. audience.
Mindful, however, that fans often tune in to hear music they can't get anywhere else, his show presents smooth jazz from a U.K. based Euro perspective. Quirk mixes riveting interviews with familiar American artists with British acts like Hamish Stuart, Acoustic Alchemy, Paul Hardcastle and Snake Davis. He is also dedicated to playing lesser-known artists from growing markets in Great Britain, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Holland (home of the growing chill music movement) amidst the marquee names.
He says. "It's about bringing fans the best of smooth jazz grooves from around the world, to provide a more global perspective. As dedicated as I am to the music that we've all loved for years, I am also devoted to bringing deserving up and coming talent to the forefront. It's a colorful mix of vocals and instrumentals which I like to call 'soul music without vocals,' with some exotic sounds, sure, but also, what else? Groove and melody, groove and melody."
Although music has filled the life of the Manchester born and raised Steve Quirk for at least 40 years- beginning with his purchase of The Isley Brothers' "Who's That Lady" circa '73-he still looks back in awe at the fascinating roads music has led him down since the mid-80s. While his fellow countrymen were digging the sounds of the latest punk and new wave artists out of London, he was slowly but surely amassing a collection of America's best pop and pop-jazz artists.
"It was one man who influenced me back in the day," he says. "He just happens to be my old friend Russ Davis, who now works for XM radio satellite. He was working for WQXI in Atlanta hosting a show called 'Jazz Flavours,' mixing in Al Jarreau with George Winston, Kenny G, Sade, Bob James and George Benson. Wow! I still have the article about what he was doing that ran in Billboard in 1985."
Quirk worked in the printing business for years when his good friend Mike Shaft-longtime DJ at Piccadilly Radio in Manchester-called Quirk's Top Ten list "the best stuff I've ever heard" and played it live on the air. A few years later, Shaft was working at Sunset Radio, which was the first national ethnic radio of its kind; during the day, the station played soul and jazz, while at night, it ventured into exotic music from China, India, etc. Shaft hired Quirk to be Sunset's staff librarian, and within a year, Quirk was appointed Musical Director.
On Good Friday, 1990, the main jocks had the day off and Shaft gave his friend a shot on the air, which led to the birth of a true radio phenomenon. Quirk's first Fusion Flavours show launched with Bob James' "Westchester Lady" and included selections from Dave Grusin ("Mountain Dance"), George Benson ("Breezin'"), Grover Washington, Jr. ("Just The Two Of Us") and Kenny G ("Songbird"). "After all these years, those tracks still sound good today," Quirk says. "The show's philosophy has always been to bring together the best in classic and current smooth jazz and smooth soul blended with new releases and artist interviews."
"My only real criteria then and now is that I play the music which is sophisticated, melodic and accessible to new and old fans alike," he adds. "There was nothing like it on British radio, and listeners naturally gravitated to it. I worked with My best friend (the late) Duncan Smith as part of the 'Dream Team' on Sunset for a few years, and we did the first UK interviews with Dave Koz, the late saxophonists George Howard and Art Porter and R&B legends like Luther Vandross and Dionne Warwick. Adding touches of our British humour of course. "Our job was to take the music to the people... Smitty was a huge part of my radio life and I still miss that guy today, he was my best friend and musical soulmate."
Preparing to launch his inimitable Fusion Flavours Stateside, Quirk-the ultimate adventurous smooth jazz fan--is as excited about his "baby" now as he was that Easter weekend long ago. "My love for the show and the music is even stronger today," he says. "The object of the show is to let as many people as possible hear the great music, whether in a small or large music market. After all these years, for me it's still about passion and I suppose it always will be. I just love what I do."
Article written by
JONATHAN WIDRAN
Well respected Jazz writer for numerous publications including
JAZZ IZ
SMOOTH JAZZ NEWS
Photo's taken by Daniel Parker
