The Weather Channel's new CD collection, TheWeather Channel Presents: The Best of Smooth Jazz, has turned out to be a genre hit. The CD, issued in October on Nashville's Midas Records, recently climbed to Number Two on Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. The 12-track collection features tunes by Jeff Lorber, Dave Koz, Chick Corea, 480 East, Joyce Cooling, Najee, and Pieces Of A Dream. The music has become familiar to viewers who watch the cable channel's "Local on the 8s" weather updates, which frequently also plays light rock and holiday music.
The channel has been on the air for 25 years, during which employees sometimes dug into their own collections for the music played on the air. Soon executives noticed that the smooth jazz instrumentals drew phone calls from fans wanting to know what was played.
The new CD also includes three tracks exclusively recorded for the Weather Channel: Mark Krumowski's "Wait a Minute," Ryan Farish's "Holding Hands" and Jeanne Ricks' "Simple Pleasure."
The Weather Channel plans to release other CD compilations in the future, according to AP.
