I guess I have to admit that Kenny G is a good musician, credentials and all, but I don’t care for the styles of music he plays, and worse still, he has ruined the saxophone for me.
If I hear saxophone now, I think of Kenny G. He’s tainted it as far as I’m concerned. :bluemad:
[quote=“sandman”]
The above are forgiveable. He can play bebop like a crazy-ass jive motherfucker yet chooses to play ezy-listening elevator musak. That is not.[/quote]
Are there actual recordings of him playing bebop? I’d be curious to hear those…
The only thing that gets to me about him is that people will say, “Yeah, I like jazz, I listen to Kenny G” Although, it’s not really his fault that people think he’s jazz, but more of the ignorance of others.
In terms of holding a note for more than 45 minutes, it’s called circular breathing, and most wind players with a little practice can do this. While holding air into your cheeks, you breath in through your nose and push air out from your cheeks at the same time. Avant-garde musicians have to do this for over 15 minutes at a time, while playing extremely difficult music, not just one note. I’m sure a number of people could break that record, but they are probably thinking to themselves, “Why?”
[quote=“gusbologna2000”][quote=“sandman”]
The above are forgiveable. He can play bebop like a crazy-ass jive motherfucker yet chooses to play ezy-listening elevator musak. That is not.[/quote]
Are there actual recordings of him playing bebop? I’d be curious to hear those…
[/quote]
I don’t know, but I suppose there must be. I saw him play on TV with the Marsalis family one time and he was bloody good. Most strange.
[quote=“Kahna”]Actually, Kenny G breathes through his anus, much like a sea cucumber.
And also similar to a sea cucumber, Kenny G induces rectal prolapse as a defensive mechanism when startled.
(In himself, I mean, not others)
[/quote]
:roflmao:
pat metheny made a very long remark about Kenny G, which i’m posting a link for below. i take a different view of KG than pat does though i agree that KG was crass to do a recording over louis armstrong:
[quote=“theposter”]pat metheny made a very long remark about Kenny G, which i’m posting a link for below. i take a different view of KG than pat does though i agree that KG was crass to do a recording over louis armstrong:
www.allaboutjazz.com/articles/arti0900_03.htm[/quote]
Quite apart from his whining stridency, does anyone else get the feeling that Pat Metheny’s so far up himself he doesn’t need a mirror on a stick to examine his molars? Jesus man, its only fecking music! You’re a good guitar player. That’s all. “Oh boo hoo, he’s defiling some Great Music by a Great Man.” Dude, it’s a fricking old pop song by a good trumpet player. So what?
Dear old Pat, let’s not forget what you are – an entertainer to a niche market. A song and dance man. No more than that. So’s Kenny G, albeit to a far far greater number of people that you can possibly hope to reach.
So you think he can’t play as well as some other musicians? So fucking what? He’s entertaining large numbers of people. So you think you’re better than him? Quit whining and get the fuck back up on the bandstand – you have another 40 minutes to play or you’re not getting paid. What a dumb prick. 
I’d love to have Kenny G’s skills, and then play more interesting music with them. He’s good, no doubt about it, but man is he boring. I’d like to have his money as well.
i agree with sandman. pat is up is own ass on this one. i detest jazz snobbery,ie" if you can’t quote the standard licks ad nauseum you’re not a cat" and all that. that’s why jazz is stuck in a rut. kenny G is a good ENTRANCE to jazz. people who are interested can dig deeper from there.
Kenny G? why not! hes a good thing in that way.
pat should appreciate that a lot of people turned to smooth jazz radio because of kenny G.
[quote=“theposter”]i agree with sandman. pat is up is own ass on this one. i detest jazz snobbery,ie" if you can’t quote the standard licks ad nauseum you’re not a cat" and all that. that’s why jazz is stuck in a rut. kenny G is a good ENTRANCE to jazz. people who are interested can dig deeper from there.
Kenny G? why not! hes a good thing in that way.
pat should appreciate that a lot of people turned to smooth jazz radio because of kenny G.[/quote]
nah sorry i’m with pat on this one…and i don’t think he’s really up himself at all…always struck me as a nice guy as opposed to wynton m. and keith jarrett who are elitist snobs (but my heros all the same)…having the nerve to record yourself with louis armstrong when you are as shite as kenny g is pure sacrilege…jazz is about innovation not about ripping off cultural icons to fatten your wallet…
but maybe i’m an elitist snob too… 
just btw richard thompson (english folk guitar god) has turned pat’s comments into a whole song he likes to sing live, delivered with the characteristic thompson bile he usually reserves for failed relationships…
also btw to really freak yourself out re. circular breathing check out some roland kirk…circular breathing while playing 3 saxophones at once…
Silly, yes. But sacrilege? Come ON! It’s just an old pop song.
[quote]jazz is about innovation not about ripping off cultural icons to fatten your wallet…
[/quote]
Wrong. ONE facet of jazz is about all that. It’s a facet that’s of interest primarily only to other jazz musicians and a relatively tiny number of aficionados. Most of the people who listen to jazz, however, listen to it because they like the sound. Period. The genre has MANY facets.
The MBRs are playing more and more “jazz” tunes these days. Do I give hairy rat’s front-bottom if I’m accused of “ripping off” some shit-hot musician of yesteryear because I’m not good as he was and will NEVER be as good as he was? Judge the tone of this post. What do you think? 
If people like hearing it adn I enjoy playing it, that’s well-good enough for me.
I think Kenny G’s basically a talentless twat as well, by the way – I feel strangely as if I’m defending him, but I’m really not. Really, I’m rather disparaging Metheny and that whole jazz elitist crapfuckery that I find simply small-minded and boring.
By the way, one of my friends who used to live here used to perform the great Richard Thompson’s “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” except he changed the lyrics and called it “125 Kymco” or somesuch. I though it was bloody great, but I’m sure if he was playing it back in England he’d get pilloried by the hairy sweater brigade.
Silly, yes. But sacrilege? Come ON! It’s just an old pop song.
[quote]jazz is about innovation not about ripping off cultural icons to fatten your wallet…
[/quote]
Wrong. ONE facet of jazz is about all that. It’s a facet that’s of interest primarily only to other jazz musicians and a relatively tiny number of aficionados. Most of the people who listen to jazz, however, listen to it because they like the sound. Period. The genre has MANY facets.
The MBRs are playing more and more “jazz” tunes these days. Do I give hairy rat’s front-bottom if I’m accused of “ripping off” some shit-hot musician of yesteryear because I’m not good as he was and will NEVER be as good as he was? Judge the tone of this post. What do you think? If people like hearing it adn I enjoy playing it, that’s well-good enough for me.
I think Kenny G’s basically a talentless twat as well, by the way – I feel strangely as if I’m defending him, but I’m really not. Really, I’m rather disparaging Metheny and that whole jazz elitist crapfuckery that I find simply small-minded and boring.
By the way, one of my friends who used to live here used to perform the great Richard Thompson’s “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” except he changed the lyrics and called it “125 Kymco” or somesuch. I though it was bloody great, but I’m sure if he was playing it back in England he’d get pilloried by the hairy sweater brigade. [/quote]
i heard your man do that version too…mind you folk music is famous for reworking its songs lyrically…im guessing 1952 VBL is a reworking of an earlier song (about a horsie or something)…you’re probably right and i am an unashamed jazz elitist…but playing standards live is never considered ripping someone off is it? in fact if kenny g actually played standards live he might be a bit more bearable…
the strange thing about metheneys argument is that he classifies KG as jazz…it’s better to ignore him and preach the gospel of charlie parker and john coltrane to anyone who dares to claim him as a jazz artist :raspberry: i taught jazz piano here for a while (dont ask why since i’ve only ever mastered 2 songs!) but gave up because i had too many students who thought the chord forms i was teaching sounded strange and couldn’t they just play some richard clayderman!!
But it IS jazz, isn’t it? A soloist “improvising” over a rythm section? That’s jazz, I’m afraid to say, whether you or I like it or not, or whether the improvising is adept or in-tune or not.
Bad jazz, sure. Ezy listening? Yup. Elevator muzak? Undoubtedly. But it’s jazz by definition.
i put kenny g in the jazz genre because he starts the phrase before the bar and continues it over the bar to a target note. to me that’s jazz, at least theoretically.
hey forget KG. let’s talk about somebody cool like Mark Knoffler.
[quote=“theposter”]
hey forget KG. let’s talk about somebody cool.[/quote]
I already mentioned Demis Roussos but nobody seemed interested
In what must be the most exciting concert since Westlife, Richard Clayterman or even Air Supply, I must announce that Kenny G is coming to Taipei!
Yes, it’s true!
I saw the giant ad at the Taipei Dome, I think the date was 3/27 for anyone who actually cares.
Which I don’t. :raspberry:
Josefus and Kenny G sitting in a tree,
K, I, S, S, I, N, G
Talented musician who plays crap music.
If I could make eleventy billion pounds playing the sort of shite Kenny G does I would (a) do it; and (b) do it again. And © laugh heartily all day.
“Great music is that which penetrates the ear with facility and leaves the memory with difficulty. Magical music never leaves the memory”
Thomas Beecham
OMG! It’s here!
