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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"[1] in 1986. Kenny's main instrument is the soprano saxophone, but he also plays the alto and tenor saxophone and the flute on occasion.
Contents
- 1 Early life
- 2 Career
- 3 Musical criticism
- 4 Outside of music
- 5 Discography
- 5.1 Albums
- 5.1.1 Studio albums
- 5.1.2 Holiday albums
- 5.1.3 Live albums
- 5.1.4 Greatest hits albums
- 5.1.5 Compilation albums
- 5.1.6 Cover albums
- 5.1.7 EPs
- 5.2 Singles
- 6 Popular culture
- 7 Music videos
- 8 See also
- 9 References
- 10 External links
|
Early life
Kenny was born in
Seattle,
Washington. He first came into contact with a saxophone when he heard someone performing with one on
The Ed Sullivan Show.
[1] His mother rented him his first saxophone, and he learned how to play staying home and practicing along with records (mostly of
Grover Washington, Jr.) trying to emulate the sounds that he was hearing.
[1] At
Franklin High School (where he also lettered in golf)
[citation needed] he played in the school band.
[1]
Career
Kenneth Gorelick began his career as a professional musician when he got his first professional job as sax soloist for Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1976.[2] It was at this time that he adopted the moniker "Kenny G." After he graduated from the University of Washington he became a credited member of The Jeff Lorber Fusion.[2] This group's 1980 LP Wizard Island has been seen as his introduction to listening audiences.[citation needed] He began his solo career after his period with Lorber.[2]
In 1982 Kenny G signed with Arista Records as a solo artist.[2] 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) and Aretha Franklin. Influenced by the likes of Grover Washington, Jr., his own albums are usually classified as smooth jazz.
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.[3] In 1994, Kenny G won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for Forever in Love. He also has a substantial worldwide following.
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 jazz guitarists. Many people criticize his bright sound on
soprano saxophone and claim that he plays out of tune.
[4]
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.[4] Drawing Metheny's extreme ire was Kenny G's overdubbing of a song by legendary jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong, which 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, [4]
|
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, [4]
|
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, [5]
|
Outside of music
Kenny G is a regular golfer[1] and has a playing handicap of 1. He participates in pro-celebrity tournaments such as the AT&T at Pebble Beach each February, where he is widely recognised by his 'celebrity' colleagues as the best golfer amongst them.[citation needed]
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'?"[6]
|
| #23
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1985
| "Love on the Rise"[7]
|
| #24
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1986
| "Don't Make Me Wait for Love"[8]
| #15
| #17
| #2
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1986
| "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)"[8]
|
| #15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1987
| "Songbird"[8]
| #4
| #23
| #3
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1988
| "Silhouette"[9]
| #13
| #35
| #2
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1989
| "Against Doctor's Orders"[9]
|
| #65
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1989
| "We've Saved the Best for Last"[9]
| #47
| #18
| #4
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1989
| "Going Home"[10]
| #56
| #46
| #5
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1992
| "Forever in Love"[11]
| #18
| #73
| #1
| #18
| #33
|
|
|
|
| 1993
| "By the Time This Night is Over"[11]
| #25
| #37
| #1
| #29
|
|
|
|
|
| 1993
| "Sentimental"[11]
| #72
|
| #27
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1994
| "Even if My Heart Would Break"[11]
|
|
| #28
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1995
| "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"[12]
|
|
| #26
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1996
| "The Moment"[13]
| #63
| #62
| #16
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1997
| "Havana"[13]
| #66
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1999
| "What a Wonderful World"[14]
|
|
| #22
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1999
| "Auld Lang Syne"[15]
| #7
| #57
| #3
| #40
|
| #15
| #49
| #30
|
| 2002
| "One More Time"[16]
|
|
| #19
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2002
| "Deck the Halls/The Twelve Days of Christmas"[17]
|
|
| #26
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2003
| "Auld Lang Syne [Freedom Mix]"[17]
|
| #98
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2005
| "I Believe I Can Fly"[18]
|
|
| #28
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2005
| "The Way You Move"[18]
|
|
| #12
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2005
| "My Favorite Things"[19]
|
|
| #22
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2005
| "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"[19]
|
|
| #15
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2006
| "Jingle Bell Rock"[19]
|
|
| #35
|
|
|
|
|
|
Popular culture
- In the 1993 movie Waynes World 2, mention is made of Kenny G. Garth Algar then imagines himself in a theatre audience, having his teeth drilled by a dentist as an unseen performer plays a saxophone solo. It is, however, mentioned in the closing credits that the saxophone solo was not played by Kenny G.
- Kenny G was featured in a 2000 episode of the animated South Park called the World Wide Recorder Concert, in which he molests Mr. Garrison..
- On Reel Big Fish's 2006 live DVD, You're All In This Together, Singer-guitarist Aaron Barrett criticises trumpeter John Christianson for playing a "Kenny G" solo during "Where Have You Been", and is ordered to play a more "Rock 'n' Roll" solo.
- In the Friends episode "The one where they're going to party", Ross says, "And so what if I like to go home, throw on some Kenny G, and take a bath!" To which Joey replies, "We're twenty nine! We're not women!"
- In the animated film Cars, Kenny G's song, "Songbird" is played by a group of hilariously over-modified cars to lull Mack, Lightning McQueen's Trailer, to sleep while he's driving on the highway.
- Kenny G's Songbird was played in The Master of Disguise.
- Kenny G's haircut was referenced by the webcomic VG Cats in a strip.[20]
- Kenny G was pitted against Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers in an episode of MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch.
- In the movie Clueless, the character Cher made fun of her half-brother's taste in music by saying "What's that about Kenny G again?"
- Hiphop artist Mos Def has produced a song called Rock'n'roll in which he includes the following lyric that's critical of Kenny G:
| “
| Said, Kenny G ain't got no soul
John Coltrane is rock and roll (uh-huh).
| ”
|
| —Mos Def
|
Music videos
See also
References
