Craig Sharmat creates a sound that feels like a high-definition sunset. It is fundamentally smooth jazz, but it carries the structural DNA of a film composer, meaning the melodies don't just loop; they travel. The guitar work is impeccably clean, often utilizing a liquid, chorus-heavy tone that sits perfectly atop driving, mid-tempo grooves.
What distinguishes Sharmat from the elevator-music stereotypes is his background in scoring. You can hear the 'production element' expertise in how he layers synths and percussion to create a sense of forward motion. There is a narrative quality to his instrumental pieces, moving through shifts in tension and release that feel more purposeful than standard genre fare.
Start with the album Outside In for the quintessential experience. It captures that specific 'SoCal' energy - optimistic, sophisticated, and technically flawless. It is the ideal companion for moments when you want the room to feel more expensive and the day to feel a little more effortless.
Craig Lynden Sharmat (born October 8, 1957) is an American musician. He composes music for television and film and is an accomplished guitarist whose work has been noticed in the smooth jazz charts. He has scored a wide variety of reality shows, animation, television commercials, and documentary movies. He has also played guitar on thousands of cues and backed up a number of commercial artists as guitarist and or arranger. He released his first jazz single in 2009, "So Cal Drivin"; the album of the same name was released later that year. His second album, Outside In, contains the song "Ease Up", which reached number two on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart.
Shares smooth jazz, crisp clean, studio polished, nu jazz (signature)
Shares smooth jazz, crisp clean, studio polished, instrumental only (signature)
Shares smooth jazz, studio polished, saxophone, instrumental only (signature)
Shares smooth jazz, crisp clean, saxophone, instrumental only (signature)
Shares smooth jazz, studio polished, saxophone, instrumental only (signature)
Shares smooth jazz, studio polished, saxophone, instrumental only (signature)
Shares smooth jazz, nu jazz, saxophone, instrumental only (signature)
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