No more results on this page
The sound of Kenny G's saxophone is as iconic as his curly coif; indeed, both are instantly recognizable. His latest release, New Standards, the title of his 19th studio album, fifth for Concord Records and first since 2015's Brazilian Nights, could well be used to describe his four-decade body of work, a vision of jazz that helped launch both a musical genre and radio format. After director Penny Lane's critically acclaimed HBO documentary, Listening to Kenny G - which humorously reconsiders the purist critical backlash to his music - and a demand performance on Kanye West's Grammy-winning Jesus Is King album, it's now cool to not only be Kenny G, but admit you're a fan of his as well.
"I didn't realize how strong the message was until I saw the finished film," says Kenny, who has both the best-selling instrumental album of all time in the Diamond-selling, 12-times-platinum 1992 Breathless, earning him his only Grammy Award among 15 nominations, and the Guinness Book of World Records mark for longest sustained note ever recorded on the saxophone. The feature probes some of the many Kenny G accomplishments, from his song "Going Home" being used as the official end-of-work-day anthem in China to his skills as a golfer and airline pilot. He was also one of the original 10 investors in his Seattle hometown Starbucks Coffee.
Recalling his music spawning the "smooth jazz" phenomenon, Kenny explains, "I'm proud of the fact it was a new style of music that no one was either playing or writing at the time. And it touched a great many people who weren't into traditional jazz, pop or R&B. Somewhere in the middle, they found something they were looking for and liked."
New Standards continues the musical path that has seen Kenny G sell 75 million albums around the world, looking back to the classic '50s and '60s jazz ballads for inspiration, updating them with new studio technology, such as the digital ability to piece together songs note by note from different performances. The tracks are almost equally divided between soprano and tenor sax, with one song, "Two of a Kind," featuring him on both, duetting with himself, a slight, unintended hint of Seals & Crofts' "Summer Wind" wafting through, while the wistful, airy "Moonlight" finds him taking a rare turn on alto sax, the instrument on which he first learned to play.
"I wanted to play songs with chord progressions that reflected the classic jazz era of Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderley and Dexter Gordon, while doing them my way, creating new standards," he says.
For "Legacy," he sampled the great Stan Getz playing tenor on a live, unaccompanied version of "Happy Birthday," creating a duet with him on soprano sax.
"I took those individual notes and turned them into a melody I'm proud of," explains Kenny. "I don't think that's ever been done before."
Reminiscent of his global hit duet with a filmed Louis Armstrong on "What a Wonderful World," Kenny G expects some jazz buffs night not be happy with his Getz tribute, even though, as was the case with the Armstrong song, he is donating all proceeds to the late musician's estate and family, whom Kenny says are delighted with his version.
Kenny performs a sprightly soprano sax on the opening "Emeline," named after a close family friend, while the ultra-romantic "Only You" combines a variety of throwback chord changes with a soaring tenor sax gliding its way on top.
"Rendezvous" evokes a smoky jazz ballad of the '40s with its aching tenor, the first song Kenny G recorded for the album."Paris by Night" evokes a foggy night strolling on the bridges across the Seine, while "Anthem" sports a duet between Kenny G on soprano and cello, giving the track a hymn-like, anthemic drive a song Kenny played live with the National Symphony in Nashville in December.
"Blue Skies" is an airy, whimsical melody he wrote with piano player Randy Waldman, a fellow airplane pilot -- hence the title -- whom he accompanies on soprano sax. "Milestones" offers an homage to classic jazz tropes in name and sound, while the closing "Waltz in Blue," titled for its three-quarter time crossed with a blues beat, ends the album on a rounded low B-flat, the perfect answer to the high E which begins the first track, "Emeline."
The album forms an aural narrative, which makes it the perfect vehicle to demonstrate to film directors and music supervisors that Kenny G, the world's most popular instrumental musician, is overdue to compose his first movie score.
"If any director needs a memorable instrumental for their film..." he offers. "I think I've proven what I can do."
For the last several years, Kenny G has taken to the internet with gusto, his posts becoming memes and going viral, as he continues to have fun with the whole idea of being his iconic self, satirized in South Park, Trolls World Tour (as a frizzy-haired sax player threatens the whole pop music cosmos with his "smooth jazz") and Saturday Night Live's Kenan Thompson-hosted "What's Up With That?" segment, where Fred Armisen plays a certain frizzy-haired soprano sax player.
"I don't know why they just don't have me do it," Kenny G laughs, perfectly in on the joke. "When I was on the show playing with Foster the People, I told them, 'Hey guys, I'm right here.' I can fake playing sax really well."
And, as you can hear on the excellent new New Standards, he does quite fine when he plays for real, too.
Incredible musician! So personable and involves the audience with his performance. Most band members have been with him for over 20 years which speaks for itself, in the delivery of their performance. Would recommend this concert to all!
I didn't expect the show to be this fun. The lighting and band were excellent...and obviously KG was amazing.
Kenny G has a delightful way of building rapport with audience.
From the time he walked on stage to the time he finshed was the most moving concert I have ever seen. His music is very entertaining and moving.
Absolutely loved it! Was such an honor to be in the same room with someone so talented! I am a huge fan and always will be! Thank you Kenny! Jan from Edmonton
FANTASTIC -- WONDERFUL -- AWESOME -- MAGICAL -- EXCELLENT -- Truly a night to remember -- would I go to see him again?? Oh yes definately
My wife and I enjoyed this performance and Kenny G was amazing He even autographed the CDS we purchased and we got the opportunity to meet him!!! His band and all his staff are Amazing Look forward to seeing him again!!!!
He is amazing. The sound was excellent, but in the Jub there is nothing else as that sound system. He is so talented. HIs band members are also great, Just an overall experience.
Love his music. His band was incredible. Bought a whole lot of CD's plus Kenny G's DVD. Won his Signature Sax! What more can I say! And it all started by our son saying, "Kenny G is really good on the Sax!" My husband and I were blown away!
We really enjoyed the concert & it was a wonderful night.
Although I felt like I was the youngest person in the room, I really enjoyed myself. Kenny G put on an unforgettable performance. He is definitely an artist that you want to experience live. I was also pleasently surprised with his sense of humour! An overall WOW experience! I hope he comes back again soon!
Excellent performance. Sound was breath taking. You got your money's worth attending the show.
It was 8:15 pm. The lights went out. It took the intimate crowd of 416 a while to find where that unmistakable Kenny G sound was coming from. He serenaded his way through the tables and aisles with “Home.” Despite the repeated announcements before the show that there would be no photo, audio and/or video recordings, cameras flashed. He then stood on a makeshift stage in the middle of one aisle and delivered a classy “Silhouette”, that ultra smooth sound that has always been his signature. It just became too dragging though when he showed off his circular breathing talent. He played a note that he held for about 3 minutes teasing the crowd to want him to hold it longer as he made his way through the stage shaking hands with everyone along his way. He then effortlessly continued on with “Silhouette.” The house broke into applause when he was finally through. He paused for a moment for a brief chat with the crowd where he revealed that it’s his first time in Winnipeg and that his mom was originally from Saskatchewan. He then followed with “Havana”, where he exchanged witty banter with his band. Percussionist, the playful Ron Powell, whose album Kenny G is producing showcased his talent after. A beatful “G-Bop” was played next. But his all-time best-selling and Grammy Award winning “Forever in Love” from his 1992 album “Breathless” remained the crowd favorite. He introduced his band members most of which were with him for more than twenty years while showing their solo photos of younger years on the big screen. This same LCD wide screen was used entirely during the concert to show close ups of the musicians and to provide song titles and commentary. The lights which were brought all the way from the US were perfectly in synced to the music. Kenny G also explained how he does his circular breathing talent, a talent that made him the world record holder of the longest note: 45 minutes and 47 seconds. The crowd had a taste of 2 of his songs from his latest Latin CD- “Rhythm and Romance” and “Sax-O-Loco.” Louis Armstrong’s video track of “What a Wonderful World”, the only vocals on the entire concert, was being shown on the screen while Kenny G accompanied the song. Vail Johnson, the band’s bassist, whose album Kenny G is also producing, performed an astonishing solo after the star’s “Pick up the Pieces.” After performing “Cadenza,” Kenny G raffled off one of the sax that he had designed and is marketing. The winner and her companion were sent up the stage. He serenaded them with that very sax before giving it to them, as is, with spit and all. He closed off the evening with “Songbird,” his break-through piece. Before saying goodnight, he reminded the audience members that there would be a meet and greet, and he would stay for as long as it would take. He was relaxed and confident during his classy 90-minute performance, unmarred by the passage of time.
The show was great. I already knew he was a great saxophonist, but never knew how funny and personable he is. His percusionist was amazing and so was his bass player. The venue was perfect for this kind of show. I loved the fact that he came close to everyone of the tables. Great personality, great music, and amazing hair! :) Hope he comes back!
Super fantastic!!! Could have stayed and listened to him and his band all night! Such an intimate venue. Enjoyed this much more than an arena setting. Everyone that attended was treated to an up close and more personal performance. It was like he was performing in your own home. Kenny G was spectacular!! What a fantastic band and they all looked like they truly enjoyed what they were doing. I hope he returns to Winnipeg because I will definitely see him again!
Overall the show was good with the following exceptions. The first song with holding one note forever irritated me substantially as did the segment with Louis Armstrong which could have been two hundred percent better if the bass had not been so distorted because of being overly loud. The keyboard/piano solo was excellent, as was the bass solo, drum solo and tamborine bongo solo and the solo playing by Kenny was also very good. The constant advertising for merchandise was most irritating. The constant repetition about buying merchandise made me not want to buy any.
Fabulous, fabulous concert. One of the best I've ever been to (and I usually attend 5-6 different concerts per year). It was Kenny G's first time playing in Winnipeg and I certainly hope not his last. He was backed up by a 5-piece band comprised of guys Kenny has worked with for over 25 years - and it shows! Ron Powell on percussion put on a frenetic solo performance with tambourines and bassist Vail Johnson showed the crowd tricks on the bass guitar that were unparalleled by any other I've seen. One of most interesting things about the show, in my view, was the fact that Kenny said that he is still playing the very same soprano sax that he got when he was 10 years old - they just don't make them like that any more. He played many favourites during the nearly 2 hour show. He opened with "Home" followed by "Silouette" where he held one note for a good 10 minutes while wandering through the crowd. Other favourites included "Havana" "Songbird" "What a Wonderful World (with Louis Armstrong)" and "Sax-a-Loco"
As I play the saxophone, I would love to have won the soprano saxophone. I thought that there was a draw for an Alto also?
Everyone was happy to see him walk about the venue playing his saxaphone and greeting people, then climbing onto a satellite stage. I wish other performers would have a screen up when introducing the band, usually one can't understand their names. I wish other entertainers would eliminate that hokey walk-off at the "end" of the performance when they return to the stage and do their "encore" as pre-planned. When you're done, go already.
Very entertaining. Very personable. What a performer. And the guys he plays with, unbelievable.
