Guitarist George Benson has announced a 2017 tour. According to his website, Benson will begin January 19th in Tucson, Arizona. Benson also has dates in Coachella, Beverly Hills, Irvine and Colorado Springs before he heads to the UK for a show at Scarborough's Open Air Theatre in July before taking this tour international. To see if he's coming to a city near you, check out the full schedule here. Check right here for SMOOTH JAZZ NETWORK'S NEWS FEED daily for up to the minute

The Smooth Jazz Network has been reviewing several pre-released singles coming in January, and 2017 is looking to be smoother than ever. Woodward Avenue Records artists Darren Rahn, Marc Antoine, Jack Magnet and Paul Brown are all releasing stunning new singles from their current albums during the first quarter of the year. 2016 newcomer Magdalena Chovancova and her band Threestyle are back with a smooth new tune called "Road To Monterey". Carol Albert and Lawson Rollins are

Smokey Robinson has been awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for popular song. The Library of Congress issues a Gershwin Prize. In announcing Robinson's award they wrote that he is a "poet laureate of soul." Honoring his more than 50 year career with this award they say "Robinson helped lead a musical revolution called the Motown sound." Robinson has released more than 4,00 songs and is responsible for many Top-40 hits and classics, from "My Girl" to "The Tracks of