Were an uninitiated, curious listener to pose the question, "What is the essence of smooth jazz?" the appropriate response could be to simply hand over the Fattburger catalog in its entirety. One of contemporary instrumental music's most popular mainstays since the dawn of what radio termed New Adult Contemporary in the late 1980's, the San Diego-based band's melodic and funky, blues and Latin spiced rhythm and jazz sound has helped both create and define the genre. While many trends and new artists have come and gone in the last decade, Fattburger endures on the strength of what Evans calls "remaining true to ourselves, focusing on feeling rather than the latest sound."