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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.
My experience was fantastic from the ticket purchase at totally reasonable prices to the free parking near the venue!!More ticket scanners could have been brought in as Keeny G had to come.out and apologize for the speed of the lines to get in!! Other than that Kenny G was soooooo good..a classy guy ..jokester and wonderful human being!!
I love Kenny G, I love his music, he is a true artist. I came from the Dominican Republic to the event in Lawwrerceburg, taking advantage of the fact that I was going to be on vacation in Cincinnati. I couldn't miss it!! I was also at last year's concert in Santo Domingo D.R. I enjoy each of his interpretations; It's like tasting a good wine, recognized for its quality, only recognized by those who know how to appreciate good music. My congratulations and I hope to continue enjoying your music for a long time.
He did an excellent job. Very good music. Great showmanship. In a very good backup band that he featured each person which made it excellent to watch.
Both musically and also with his discussion of his career path and that of his accompanying musicians it was an entertaining evening. The local event center was totally sold out. At one point I was convinced he was using a recorded backup of himself, as he held the same note continuously just too long. But then I decided he was using a method I do not understand and can not do myself that ventriloquists use, breathing in while simultaneously blowing out. I only gave the performance a four star rating. That is because while some of the music was very melodious and absolutely beautiful, some was just plane irritating. But that is just my own personal opinion.
Kenny G puts on one heck of a show. He engages with the audience, he’s informative and we think he is one of the best sax players in history if not THE BEST sax player and will go down in history as such. The venue was good, acoustics were good and the employees were friendly. Great experience!
Kenny G is like fine wine. He gets better and better with time. I throughly enjoyed the concert!
As always, Kenny was amazing. He absolutely cares about his audience. Third time a have been to his concerts.
Everything about that night was awesome! The pre-concert dinner spot, the venue, The Lawrenceburg Event Center, and Kenny G turned it out! The way he held notes on the sax... his audience interaction... his stage presence... his band! The best 2 hour concert I've gone to this year! And will definitely go see him any time he comes here! An artist not to be missed.
If a concert is scheduled to start at 9:00, it should start at 9:00. It was sold out, and some people weren't there yet, so they held off starting for an additional 15 minutes or so. People were still coming in 30 minutes later with the house lights turned down which was inconsiderate and disruptive while they were trying to find their seats in the dark. Kenny G and his band are amazing musicians! Every one of them is so talented!
Beautiful 🤩 musical 🎶 setting the atmosphere was amazing, great vibes following through out the music venue, great acoustical sound system.
Kenny G and band was superb as always. The venue, however, was one of the worst managed place I’ve ever been to. 10 min prior to the concert start time, there was a huge line of people still trying to get checked in and inside the auditorium with only 2 people scanning peoples’ tickets. MANY of us were still waiting to scan in when the concert started. So, many of us missed the first 2-3 songs and also missed out on a registering for a drawing Kenny G always does giving away a free saxophone. We weren’t late to the concert either. When we walking into the building, we had 5 min to spare and would’ve easily made it to our seats by the 1st song if not by the time people were entering for the drawing.
it was so amazing to discover his presence of sound and tremendous atmosphere
It was a good experience to see Kenny G. It got very loud sometimes. Also, the seat arrangements were confusing.
The concert was wonderful! Kenny G has been on my bucket list to see for years and I'm glad I got to see him. Worth the wait! The only complaint I had was people were still coming in as soon as the concert started. Because of that, Kenny G started off playing in the middle of the venue and me and my parents could not see him because of people still standing and trying to find their seats. Usually venues close the doors once the concerts start and if your late, your late. No exceptions. Not really a complaint, but I wished Kenny G played more of his Christmas music. He only played 4 Christmas songs. Maybe he could have made half of the show his hits and the other half just Christmas. That way it evens out the show. Overall, he was just wonderful to see and such talent he has. Hope to see him again!
Slow, slow entry process to get into the venue. Only one line for everyone to go through, which caused the concert to start late. Seats weren’t marketed very well. Limited staff to help with seating. The music was too loud for the facility. We have been to other Kenny G concerts and the music was perfect. This space did not support his concert very well. We left before it was over. Took 1 1/2 hours before they ever played one Christmas song. We were disappointed.
Best performance! He is definitely a legend! Love this show so much!
We love this show so much, and were amazed at all the talent on that stage. Kenny G is much more than we ever imagined. He is humble, and does everything he can to make sure you recognize the gifts of all of his band mates. He was brilliant And we would see the show again Don’t miss an opportunity to see Kenny G. You will never forget it.
The Factory venue was awesome. However, I think the drinks were too expensive. This was the best concert that I have experienced in a long time. I enjoyed how Kenny moved around the stage and off the stage, closer to the audience. I had great seats. I will definitely see him again and more importantly I will visit the Factory again too.
Saw Kenny G at The Factory. Love the venue. Not a bad seat in the house.
I went to the Kenny G concert at The Factory in St. Louis. It was an excellent show. He played a great combination of his own hits, Christmas tunes and a couple of jazz classics. The entire band was very cohesive and talented. I would definitely see him again if he comes back.
