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Kenny G

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Kenneth Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American saxophonist whose fourth album, Duotones, brought him "breakthrough success" in 1986. Kenny's main instrument is the soprano saxophone, but he also plays the alto and tenor saxophone and the flute on occasion.

Early life

Kenny was born in Seattle, Washington, and first came into contact with a saxophone when he heard someone performing with one on The Ed Sullivan Show. 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. At Franklin High School he failed to get into the jazz band when he applied, although was accepted the following year when he tried again. He also played for his high school golf team, a sport which he had loved ever since his older brother, Brian Gorelick, introduced it to him when he was ten years old.. Brian Gorelick is currently a music professor and choir conductor at Wake Forest University.

Career

Kenneth Gorelick began his career as a musician when he acquired his first ever professional job as saxophone soloist for Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1976 at the age of 20, when White was impressed by his mastery of the blues scale. Kenny was also studying for a major in accounting at the same time. After he graduated from the University of Washington he played with the funk band Cold, Bold & Together before becoming a credited member of The Jeff Lorber Fusion. He began his solo career after his period with Lorber.

In 1982, Kenny G signed with Arista Records as a solo artist, after label president Clive Davis heard his rendition of ABBA's "Dancing Queen". He has released many solo albums and collaborated with various artists including Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Natalie Cole, Steve Miller (which marked the only time he appeared on a rock and roll album), Michael Bolton, and Aretha Franklin. Influenced by the likes of saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr. and the lyricism of Barry Manilow, 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 shifted over five million copies in the U.S. alone. His fifth 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.

In 1997, Kenny G earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone. Kenny G held an E-flat for over forty five minutes.

Gorelick's 1999 single, "What A Wonderful World" stirred controversy among the jazz community regarding the overdubbing of Louis Armstrong's classic recording. A common criticism was that such a revered recording by a musician known especially for improvisation should not be altered. The "duet" was produced by David Foster who also recorded the Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole duet. Gorelick stated at the time,"...I didn't want to spoil the original. I said, 'Whatever we do, if we're not going to make it better, let's throw it away and we won't do it.' So (Foster) guaranteed that it would be better, and I hope that we did a good job on it. Some columnists countered the criticisms suggesting such a recording would bring classic jazz to a wider audience. Nevertheless, Kenny G fans considered the live performance of this duet with Armstrong on a video taped backdrop a "show stopper. Additionally, Gorelick has stated that all the proceeds from this single go to his Kenny G Miracles Foundation which "funnel(s) the money to charities to purchase musical instruments and to supplement funding for the arts in schools.

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. In 1994, Kenny G won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for .....Forever in Love......

Personal life

Kenny G is currently married to Lyndie Benson, with whom he has two children – Max (aged thirteen) and Noah (aged nine). They have expressed an interest in saxophone and piano respectively. He plays golf regularly, and has a playing handicap of +0.6. He has participated in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tournament seven times as of February 7, 2008, and Golf Digest awarded him the position of number one musician golfer in their December rankings of Top 100 in Music.

Kenny is also a pilot, and has been known to fly to many events.

Musical criticism

While Kenny G's entry into the smooth jazz market remains popular with the buying public, he was publicly criticized by two notable guitarists. Many people criticize his bright sound on soprano saxophone and claim that he plays out of tune.

Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny's criticisms of Kenny G are especially well documented, as first printed on Metheny's own Web site forum in 2000, and archived on Jazz Oasis.com. Drawing Metheny's extreme ire was Kenny G's overdubbing of Louis Armstrong's recording of What a Wonderful World, an act Metheny described as follows:

By disrespecting Louis, his legacy and by default, everyone who has ever tried to do something positive with improvised music and what it can be, Kenny G has created a new low point in modern culture — something that we all should be totally embarrassed about. || |Pat Metheny|Interview on Jazz Oasis

Metheny criticized G further, saying that the saxophonist had:

...through his unbelievably pretentious and calloused musical decision to embark on this most cynical of musical paths, shit all over the graves of all the musicians past and present who have risked their lives by going out there on the road for years and years developing their own music inspired by the standards of grace that Louis Armstrong brought to every single note he played over an amazing lifetime as a musician. || |Pat Metheny|Interview on Jazz Oasis

English guitarist Richard Thompson seconded Metheny's thoughts by writing the song "I Agree With Pat Metheny, Kenny's Talents Are Too Teeny". Among the song's pointed lyrics are:

A meeting of great minds, how nice
Like Einstein and Sporty Spice
Digitally fused in an abortion
Oh, Kenny fans will doubtless rave
While Satchmo turns inside his grave
Soprano man's bit off more than his portion. || |Richard Thompson||

Kenny was memorably lampooned in Wayne's World 2, when Wayne's sidekick Garth mentally compared attending a Kenny G concert to being in a dentist's office.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Holiday albums

Live albums

Greatest hits albums

Compilation albums

Cover albums

EPs

Singles

Year Title Chart Positions
US Hot 100 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop US Adult Contemporary US Top 40 Mainsteam US Rhythmic Top 40 US Adult Top 40 US Hot Country US Top 40 Tracks
1984 "Hi, How Ya Doin'?" #23
1985 "Love on the Rise" #24
1986 "Don't Make Me Wait for Love" #15 #17 #2
1986 "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" #15
1987 "Songbird" #4 #23 #3
1988 "Silhouette" #13 #35 #2
1989 "Against Doctor's Orders" #65
1989 "We've Saved the Best for Last" #47 #18 #4
1989 "Going Home" #56 #46 #5
1992 "Forever in Love" #18 #73 #1 #18 #33
1993 "By the Time This Night is Over" #25 #37 #1 #29
1993 "Sentimental" #72 #27
1994 "Even if My Heart Would Break" #28
1995 "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" #26
1996 "The Moment" #63 #62 #16
1997 "Havana" #66
1999 "What a Wonderful World" #22
1999 "Auld Lang Syne" #7 #57 #3 #40 #15 #49 #30
2002 "One More Time" #19
2002 "Deck the Halls/The Twelve Days of Christmas" #26
2003 "Auld Lang Syne [Freedom Mix]" #98
2005 "I Believe I Can Fly" #28
2005 "The Way You Move" #12
2005 "My Favorite Things" #22
2005 "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" #15
2006 "Jingle Bell Rock" #35

Videography

See also

References

External links