With the holiday season approaching I figure I’d write about my favorite musician who happens to have a holiday season cd- saxophone player Kenny G. Kenny G plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone as well as the flute. I love listening him because his music is just so relaxing and flawless to me. In particular, one piece prompted me to write this post: his Auld Lang Syne Millenium Mix.
Alongside with the soothing sound of the saxophone playing the tune of Auld Lang Syne, a song celebrating the start of the new year, we get to hear some recordings of some of the most memorable historic events in the 1900s. Some people we hear are Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr, Bill Clinton and some events mentioned are the landing of man on the moon, the attack of pearl harbor, the Columbine shooting, the assassination of President Kennedy, the Berlin Wall being knocked down, and the outbreak of AIDS. I think that this mix is such a great collaboration. The soothingness of the music alongside with the voiceovers of these events as well as the juxtaposition of celebrating the new and remembering the old makes the music more emotional and meaningful. I hope you all listen to it.
Oh, I was forced to hear his music in the background of my home atmosphere yesterday! My mom loves Kenny G! His music is indeed peaceful and calming, and you can listen to it without falling asleep. He is very talented with the saxophone, there is no doubt about that. I never heard of his Auld Lang Syne prior to this blog post, but like all of his other songs, it is simply gorgeous.
Kenny G is the jazz saxophone player all jazz musicians love to hate. He is the jazz equivalent of McDonalds. His brand of jazz is homogenized past the point of recognition for true lovers of the jazz tradition. His sound is harsh and ugly, his improvisations are vapid and soul-less and he has a huge popular following because most listeners are unaware of what real jazz sounds like. If you have ever had a real steak (at a place like Smith and Wollensky’s or Peter Luger, or even at a good backyard barbeque) then you know how much a Mickey D hamburger pales in comparison. Kenny G’s brand of jazz is a similar imitation of the real thing. This, of course, then begs the question of why he (along with McDonalds) is so popular. I think it has to do with a lack of cultural awareness on the part of the popular audience. I encourage you to learn the difference. Your effort will be rewarded.
When I read that comment I was kind of taken aback seeing as I had been listening to him for a while and I liked him…but now that I think about it, I don’t really know any other jazz musicians to compare him to. Like we discussed in class, just because somebody is more famous doesn’t mean he is more talented. Kenny G does appeal to a larger audience and that audience is full of a lot of people who like myself are not really culturally aware enough to know others out there who are a lot better than he is. I’m listening to some other jazz musicians to compare him to now, but I’m not entirely sure who I should listen to for a better comparison. Do you have any suggestions?