Kenny G

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Saxophonist, composer

Soft-spoken saxophonist Kenny G is a lot tougher than either his boyish grin or his mild, atmospheric records would tend to suggest. Ever since the release of the multimillion-selling Duotones in 1986, he has withstood a veritable onslaught of abuse from critics and fellow musicians alike. The heaps of invective flung in Kenny’s direction intensified when his follow-up, 1988’s Silhouette, went platinum. In fact, critical disparagement seems to run inversely to Kenny’s popularity. Kenny himself tries to take it in stride. "I don’t think anyone has been exceptionally mean to me," he explained in Entertainment Weekly. "It’s the intellectuals who write the reviews. People read these things and think that these are the people who know the most. Maybe I’m a dreamer, but I think the ordinary guy has as much right to say, This is a good song’ as somebody who is in the music business."

Kenny G is certainly one dreamer whose fantasies have come to life. In little more than a decade he went from being just another backup sax player to selling millions of records worldwide and, following an onstage jam with Bill Clinton, being billed as the U.S. president’s favorite artist. In truth, his rapid and seemingly effortless rise to success may be part of the reason critics and musicians come down so hard on him. "I’m lucky," Kenny admitted in the Detroit Free Press. "I remember when Duotones came out, and I had a hit with ’Songbird.’ The history of instrumentalists in pop is that you get a big hit and that’s the end of it. They’re not going to hear from you again. I’ve been lucky so far that it hasn’t happened to me."

"A Serious Dork"
It was a combination of luck and musical prowess that landed Kenny his first gig. While still in high school, he was invited to play with R&B singer Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra. "They needed a sax player who could read and solo in a soulful style, and I really was the only person in Seattle [Washington] that could do both," Kenny recalled in Down Beat. "It was very funny, because I hadn’t played professionally before. I didn’t know anything about the business world of playing. They said suit and tie—and everybody knows that means dark suit, dark tie. And I came on with the whole bar mitzvah look—plaid jacket, maroon pants, and maroon tie to match, of course. I was a serious dork. When I showed up, the band could not believe it—here was this little tiny kid. But I did a great job—I even got a standing ovation because I had such a long solo. After that, I was a hero at school!"

Kenny continued to broaden his musical horizons over the next few years, playing with visiting performers such

as White and famous pianist Liberace. His first big break came when he was asked to audition for jazz-fusion pioneer Jeff Lorber. Lorber was impressed, and Kenny joined the band—but only after graduating magna cum laude in accounting from the University of Washington, just in case he didn’t make it in music. Lorber was Kenny’s first and strongest influence. "I ended up playing with him for four years, from 79-82, and I learned so much," he reflected in Down Beat "I think he was one of the pioneers of fusion—that blend of bebop, funk, and r&b—he had it down. I loved his style. And when you’re in a band for four years, you live in that style—you really don’t do anything else."

Early Producer Dilemmas
After a while, however, Kenny began to feel that it was time to strike out on his own. His first album, 1982’s Kenny G, was produced by Lorber and released by Arista, Lorber’s record company. The result was not exactly what Kenny had in mind. "I was a little frustrated, because the record was very much a Jeff Lorber album—it really had Jeff’s sound," he revealed in Down Beat "I’m not faulting him for that. He’s a good producer who has strong ideas and he wanted to hear it his way. [But] I had Kashif produce my second album, G Force, and it sold almost 200,000 copies! I’m an r&b guy, and Kashif is an r&b producer, and I liked working with him."

Still, even that situation was less than ideal. "Kashif turned out not to be the right producer for me either," Kenny continued in Down Beat "He’s more of a vocal producer, and he was hearing hit vocal songs and I was hearing instrumentals. The second album we did together didn’t do as well." Kenny persevered, however, and with help from Arista released his breakthrough smash, Duotones, in 1986. "I wouldn’t have blamed the record company if they had dropped me because it was shaky. But I wanted to do the next record in a certain way, and Arista agreed to try to work it out. So when we made Duotones, we still included some vocal tunes, but I wanted to make sure they fit in with the whole vibe of the record. My main concern was to make an album that people could listen to from top to bottom and like it, because that’s what I like about a record."

Kenny was not the only one who liked Duotones. The album was an unequivocal smash hit, with the single "Songbird" shooting up to Number Four on the pop charts. The enormous success of Duotones surprised everyone, including Kenny, who told a Down Beat contributor, "When I wrote ’Songbird,’ it wasn’t as if I said to myself, ’Okay, it’s 1987 and it’s time for another instrumental hit.’ I wrote the song, I played it, and I thought it was beautiful. I didn’t think it was going to be a hit. I wasn’t trying to do that."

When Kenny’s follow-up albums—1988’s Silhouetteand 1992’s Breathless—sei new sales records the world over, the saxophonist realized that his success was not just a fluke." It’s my commitment to put a record out there that is really great and not to release it from a business standpoint," he explained. "It’s the thing that makes people successful in life or not successful."

Connected With His Audience
Another aspect of Kenny’s success is his ability to reach out to his audience. A highlight of his live performances is when he descends from the stage to walk and play among his many fans. Fellow saxophonist Eric Marienthal of Chick Corea’s Elektric Band was quoted in Down Beat as saying: "One thing I thought Kenny G had going for him was that he had a great way of communicating with his audience. It’s important to be proficient with your instrument. Also you want to try to communicate with people. Kenny’s a master at that. He was able to get that real connection that a lot of musicians aren’t as successful at doing." Kenny explained it this way in Down Beat: "Physically walking through the seats, to me that’s the best. I like the sound better out there than the sound on the stage. Any time there’s a performance, there is a wall separating me and the audience. You can leave it up there or take it down. I like to put myself in the audience’s place."

Kenny’s innate ability to relate to the nuts and bolts of record promotion has also helped him gain popularity. "The radio stations are not my enemy, and the record company is not my enemy," he explained in Down Beat "If a record does well, then everybody’s happy. Some artists look at the record company as the enemy. I look at it as part of a team." Indeed, his willingness to display his talents in remote locations has made him a dream artist to the business end of the music industry. "Kenny’s his own best salesman," stated Heinz Henn, a senior vice-president at Arista’s distributor, BMG, in Billboard. "He’s just a genuine nice guy, who people warm to."

Kenny G is the embodiment of the musical success story. Dedication, hard work, and a bit of luck have taken him from relative obscurity to international super-stardom in little more than a decade. Still, he tries to keep a level head. "I take my music and playing very seriously," he was quoted as saying in Down Beat "I think it’s a great position to be in. I remember the time when I didn’t have a gig. It’s a dream. I’m waiting for the dream to end, and I hope it doesn’t."

Selected discography

On Arista Records
Kenny G, 1982.
G Force, 1984.
Gravity, 1985.
Duotones (includes "Songbird"), 1986.
Silhouette, 1988.
Live, 1989.
Breathless, 1992.
Miracles: The Holiday Album, 1994.

Sources
Billboard, October 13, 1990; November 26, 1992; June 26, 1993; July 3, 1993; December 10, 1994.
Detroit Free Press, August 27, 1993.
Down Beat, January 1988; November 1992.
Entertainment Weekly, April 2, 1993; November 18, 1994.
  • Genres: Jazz

Biography

Kenny G has long been the musician many jazz listeners love to hate. A phenomenally successful instrumentalist whose recordings make the pop charts, Kenny G's sound has been a staple on adult contemporary and smooth jazz radio stations since the mid-'80s, making him a household name. Kenny G is a fine player with an attractive sound (influenced a bit by Grover Washington, Jr.) who often caresses melodies, putting a lot of emotion into his solos. Because he does not improvise much (sticking mostly to predictable melody statements), his music largely falls outside of jazz. However, because he is listed at the top of "contemporary jazz" charts and is identified with jazz in the minds of the mass public, he is classified as jazz.

Kenny Gorelick started playing professionally with Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1976. He recorded with Cold, Bold & Together (a Seattle-based funk group) and freelanced locally. After graduating from the University of Washington, Kenny G worked with Jeff Lorber Fusion, making two albums with the group. Soon he was signed to Arista, recording his debut as a leader in 1982. His fourth album, Duotones (which included the very popular "Songbird"), made him into a star. Soon he was in demand for guest appearances on recordings of such famous singers as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Natalie Cole. Kenny G's own records have sold remarkably well, particularly Breathless, which has easily topped eight million copies in the U.S.; his total album sales top 30 million copies. The holiday album Miracles, released in 1994, and 1996's Moment continued the momentum of his massive commercial success. He also recorded his own version of the Celine Dion/Titanic smash "My Heart Will Go On" in 1998, but the following year he released Classics in the Key of G, a collection of jazz standards like "'Round Midnight" and "Body and Soul," possibly to reclaim some jazz credibility.

Faith: A Holiday Album was released that same year, followed by a limited-edition re-release of the 1997 Greatest Hits disc. In 2002 Kenny G dipped into tropical territory with Paradise, which featured guest appearances by Brian McKnight and Chanté Moore. This was followed by a music video collection, another holiday album, entitled Wishes, and, in 2003, a second greatest-hits collection, Ultimate Kenny G. Perhaps in a bid to shake up his discography a bit, in 2004 Kenny G released At Last...The Duets Album, which featured "duets" with LeAnn Rimes and Chaka Khan. Two years later, smooth jazz's king of the soprano sax returned to a purely instrumental approach on the brassy, big-band-inspired albums Holiday Collection and I'm in the Mood for Love; 2006 was also the year the artist was dubbed the best golfer in music by Golf Digest, beating out Vince Gill for the number one spot. In 2008, Kenny G released the Latin-inspired Rhythm and Romance. The sax player next drifted toward R&B for 2010's Heart and Soul, which featured guest vocals from Robin Thicke and Babyface. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi
Kenny G

Kenny G playing in Shanghai
Background information
Birth name Kenneth Bruce Gorelick
Also known as Kenny G
Born (1956-06-05) June 5, 1956 (age 55)
Origin Seattle, Washington, US
Genres Smooth jazz
Adult contemporary
Occupations Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instruments Primary:
Soprano saxophone
Secondary:
Alto saxophone
Tenor saxophone
Flute
Years active 1973–1982 (group)
1982–present (solo)
Labels Arista (1982–2006)
Concord Jazz (2008–present)
Associated acts Robin Thicke, Foster the People
Website www.kennyg.com

Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986.[1] Kenny G is the biggest-selling instrumental musician of the modern era, with global sales totaling more than 75 million albums.[2]

Contents

Early life

Kenny G was born in Seattle, Washington to a Jewish family and grew up in the city's Seward Park neighborhood, which is a center of the city's Jewish community. He came into contact with a saxophone when he heard someone performing with one on The Ed Sullivan Show.[1] He started playing the saxophone in 1966 when he was 10 years old. He learned how to play under the direction of local trumpeter Gerald Pfister and by practicing along with records (mostly of Grover Washington, Jr.), trying to emulate the sounds that he was hearing. His first saxophone was a Buffet Crampon alto.[3]

Kenny G attended Whitworth Elementary School, Sharples Junior High School, Franklin High School, and the University of Washington, all in his home town of Seattle. When he entered high school, he failed on his first try to get into the jazz band, but tried again the following year and earned first chair.[4][5] In addition to his studies while in high school, he took private lessons on the saxophone and clarinet from Johnny Jessen, once a week for a year.[6]

He was also on his high school golf team.[5] He had loved the sport ever since his older brother, Brian Gorelick, introduced it to him when he was ten years old, which is the same age he was when he started playing the saxophone.[5]

Career

Kenny G's career started with a job as a sideman for Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1973 while 17 and still in high school.[7][8] He continued to play professionally while studying for a major in accounting at the University of Washington in Seattle and graduated magna cum laude.[7][9] He played with the funk band Cold, Bold & Together[9] before becoming a credited member of The Jeff Lorber Fusion.[8] He began his solo career after his period with Lorber.[8]

Kenny G signed with Arista Records as a solo artist in 1982, after label president Clive Davis heard his rendition of ABBA's "Dancing Queen".[8] He has released many solo albums and collaborated with various artists including Andrea Bocelli, Whitney Houston,[10] Peabo Bryson, Aaron Neville, Toni Braxton, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince,[11] Natalie Cole,[12] Steve Miller[13] (which marked the only time he appeared on a rock and roll album), Dudley Moore, Lee Ritenour, The Rippingtons, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, Frank Sinatra, Smokey Robinson, Bebel Gilberto, George Benson, Chante Moore and Aretha Franklin.[10] Influenced by the likes of saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr.,[6] his own albums are usually classified as smooth jazz.

He received success quite early on, with both G Force and Gravity, his second and third studio albums respectively, achieving platinum status in the United States. These sales were topped by his fourth studio album, Duotones, which sold over 5 million copies in the U.S. alone. His sixth studio album, Breathless, became the number one best selling instrumental album ever, with over 15 million copies sold, of which 12 million were in the U.S. He broke another record when his first holiday album, Miracles, sold over 13 million copies, making it the most successful Christmas album to date.[9]

In 1997, Kenny G earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone. Using circular breathing, Kenny G held an E-flat for 45 minutes and 47 seconds at J&R Music World in New York City.[14] That same year, Kenny G's song "Havana", from his album The Moment, was remixed by noted DJs Todd Terry and Tony Moran and released promotionally to dance clubs in the U.S. These mixes went to No.1 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart in April 1997.[15]

Kenny G's 1999 single, "What A Wonderful World" was criticized in its overdubbing of Louis Armstrong's classic recording. The primary criticism is that a revered recording by an artist such as Armstrong, known especially for improvisation, should not be altered, especially by a musician whose range and depth of understanding of classical jazz was already in question.[16][17][18][19] Some columnists counter the criticism by suggesting that Kenny G's recording would expose a wider audience to classic jazz, though the overall response to his recording tended to be negative.[20]

Kenny G has recorded some Chinese songs, such as "Jasmine Flower" (茉莉花) or "The Moon Represents My Heart" (月亮代表我的心). His music is noticeably popular in China. His recording "Going Home" is often played at closing time at public places or at the end of classes at schools. Mass transit systems in Tianjin and Shanghai play these songs when trains approach terminus stations.

As of 2003, Kenny G was named the 25th-highest selling artist in America by the RIAA, with 48 million albums sold in the USA as of July 31, 2006.[21] In 1994, Kenny G won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for Forever in Love.

In October 2009, Kenny G appeared with the band Weezer in an AOL promotion of their album Raditude by soloing during "I'm Your Daddy". Kenny G said he knew nothing of Weezer before the performance.[22] Though some music critics thereby rejoined in the common criticism of his work,[23][24] the unlikely combination was fairly well received by AOL's magazines Spinner.com and Popeater.com.[22][25]

In February 2011 Kenny G and his music were featured in a Super Bowl XLV ad for Audi called "Release the Hounds."[26] Kenny G later starred in a short film detailing his time as Head of Riot Suppression for the Luxury Prison.[27]

Recently, he made an appearance in the music video for pop star Katy Perry's single Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) as Uncle Kenny. On the October 8, 2011 episode of Saturday Night Live, Kenny appeared with his soprano sax along side alternative rock band Foster the People as they performed their song "Houdini."

Equipment

Kenny G plays the Selmer Mark VI Soprano, Alto and Tenor Saxophones. He has created his own line of saxophones called "Kenny G Saxophones".[citation needed]

Personal life

Kenny G is married to Lyndie Benson-Gorelick, with whom he has two sons. After 20 years of marriage, Benson-Gorelick filed papers requesting a legal separation in January 2012.[28]

Kenny G lives in Malibu, California.[29] He is an avid golfer and has a handicap of +0.6.[4] He has participated in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tournament seven times as of 2007 and teamed with Phil Mickelson to share the AT&T pro-am title in 2001 with the team of Tiger Woods and Jerry Chang.[5] In the Golf Digest rankings of Top 100 in Music, according to golf handicap indexes of major musicians, he was first in 2006[4] and second in 2008.[30] He is a member at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California.

Kenny G is an aircraft pilot and has a De Havilland Beaver seaplane that he flies regularly.[31] He is also an early investor in the Starbucks coffee house chain.[32]

Discography

References

  1. ^ a b "Kenny G Is Still the Smooth Jazz King". Barnes & Noble.com. October 2002. http://music.barnesandnoble.com/features/interview.asp?NID=598266&z=y. Retrieved April 7, 2007. 
  2. ^ Turegano, Preston (2009-09). "Kenny G – Grammy winner and best-selling instrumental musician of the modern era". Smooth Jazz News (Smooth Jazz News). http://smoothjazznews.com/archives/september2009/index.html. Retrieved April 5, 2010. 
  3. ^ Kenny G (June 19, 2009). "Some more Q & A". Kenny G Rhythm and Romance. http://kennyg.com/blog/. Retrieved April 1, 2010. [dead link]
  4. ^ a b c Diaz, Jaime (December 2006). "After selling millions of records, Grammy winner Kenny G wants to conquer golf". GolfDigest.com. http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/2006-12/kennyg. Retrieved April 7, 2007. 
  5. ^ a b c d Kroichick, Ron (February 7, 2007). "Kenny G can swing with the best of them". Scripps News (ScrippsNews.com). http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/19279. Retrieved April 7, 2007. 
  6. ^ a b Wissmuller, Christian (2006). "I'm just doing my own thing, too". Jazzed (December/January). http://www.jazzedmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=DB82F62537074828BBCEEDE627080729&nm=Archives&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=DC361A86F0E94F41ACBF6EC31A485461. Retrieved April 1, 2010. 
  7. ^ a b Glenn, Alan (1995). "Kenny G". Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, Inc. http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Kenny_G.aspx. Retrieved April 1, 2010. 
  8. ^ a b c d Yanow, Scott. "Kenny G Biography". AllMusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5924/biography. Retrieved April 7, 2007. 
  9. ^ a b c Zimmerman, Kevin (September 30, 2002). "Kenny G Has Time on his Side". BMI.com. http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/233313. Retrieved April 7, 2007. 
  10. ^ a b Sandow, Greg (2007). "Kenny G". Microsoft Encarta. Microsoft Corporation. Archived from the original on October 31, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5kwsEhS4b. Retrieved May 4, 2007. 
  11. ^ "The Moment – Credits". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r240956/credits. Retrieved May 7, 2007. 
  12. ^ "Everlasting – Credits". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r4311/credits. Retrieved May 7, 2007. 
  13. ^ "Living in the 20th Century – Credits". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r13073/credits. Retrieved May 7, 2007. 
  14. ^ "Kenny G. Blows". Yahoo!. December 2, 1997. http://music.yahoo.com/kenny-g/news/kenny-g-blows--12037787. Retrieved 2012-01-08. 
  15. ^ "Dance/Club Play Songs – Week of April 26, 1997". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/charts/dance-club-play-songs?chartDate=1997-04-26#/charts/dance-club-play-songs?chartDate=1997-04-26. Retrieved April 9, 2010. 
  16. ^ Ben Ratliff MUSIC; Jazz Can Take Itself Too Seriously New York Times, July 16, 2000
  17. ^ Mark Sabbatini Kenny G: At Last...The Duets Album All About Jazz, December 30, 2004
  18. ^ George Varga Kenny G: Changes His Tune JazzTimes May 1999
  19. ^ Mike Joyce Who's overrated? Who's Underrated? JazzTimes, September 1997
  20. ^ Maldonado, Shirley (August 10, 2000). "Gee whiz, give Kenny a break". Boston Herald (Boston Herald and Herald Media). http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/57812085.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Aug+10%2C+2000&author=Shirley+Maldonado&pub=Boston+Herald&edition=&startpage=049&desc=Gee+whiz%2C+give+Kenny+a+break. Retrieved April 7, 2010. 
  21. ^ "Top Artists". RIAA.com. July 31, 2006. Archived from the original on March 4, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070304033156/http://www.riaa.com/gp/bestsellers/topartists.asp. Retrieved April 7, 2007. 
  22. ^ a b Charley Rogulewski Weezer Run With Chamillionaire, Sara Bareilles and ... Kenny G? Spinner.com, Oct 23, 2009
  23. ^ Tom Breihan Weezer Team Up With Kenny G, Chamillionaire, Sara Bareilles Pitchfork Media, October 23, 2009
  24. ^ Mike Burr Weezer Breaks Out Rolodex, Brings Kenny G., Chamillionaire, and Sara Bareilles To AOL Session Prefix Magazine , October 23, 2009
  25. ^ Kenny G Steps Back Into the Spotlight popeater.com, October 26, 2009
  26. ^ Audi Big Game Commercial 2011 – Release the Hounds youtube.com, February 2, 2011
  27. ^ Audi Big Game 2011 Teaser – Kenny G Riot Suppressor (Part 2) youtube.com, February 1, 2011
  28. ^ "Girl hurt by item cast from Kenny G's home". Los Angeles Times. June 30, 2007. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jun/30/local/me-kennyg30. Retrieved May 25, 2011. 
  29. ^ Furlong, Lisa; Craig Bestrom (2008-11). "The Top 100 in Music". Golf Digest. Condé Nast Digital. http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/musicians. Retrieved April 3, 2010. 
  30. ^ Strauss, Neil (October 31, 2006). "... And Two if by Seaplane". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/08/garden/and-two-if-by-seaplane.html?pagewanted=1. Retrieved April 3, 2010. 
  31. ^ Harding, Cortney (January 25, 2008). "Q&A: Kenny G explores Latin "Rhythm"". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2537209120080126. Retrieved April 3, 2010. 

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Kenny G (1982 Album by Kenny G)
Duotones (1986 Album by Kenny G)
Silhouette (1988 Album by Kenny G)
The Moment (1996 Album by Kenny G)