Has Kenny G ruined it?

burk48237 · #1 03-08-2005, 03:27 PM

I was listening to Michael Dinims "Big Droppings" (excellent album the cat can play, and he has taste too!),it has several sorprano sax solos on it, and they are excellent solos. But, I always get this nagging feeling when I hear a sorprano sax, it is a Kenny G flashback "some sad syripy sick melody enters my brain, and I hear a pentatonic scale over some two chord funk vamp with a drum machine and I loose it". My question is this I can't remember the last sorprano sax player whose "moved" me scince Branford was playing for Sting. Has Kenny G destroyed this instrument? It took 15 years for white rappers to get over Vanilla Ice, did Kenny G do the same thing to the sorprano sax?

Nadav · #2 03-08-2005, 03:32 PM

Hmm, interesting question. I can't say I've ever really listened to Kenny G, but sax definitely has that "this instrument is everywhere" feeling, which can sometime make it real cheesy.
Eh, it's alright, Coltrane still works for me.

Hambone · #3 03-08-2005, 03:43 PM

I think the KG juggernaut might be keeping a few cats from even adding that horn to their lineup of instruments to avoid the inevitable comparisons much less than altering our perceptions of how we hear the soprano sax. My son is a pretty good sax player and I've tried to get him to get interested in soprano, if only to become a more rounded reed player, but he won't even look at it because of KG. I wonder how many other guys are like that?

I remember before KG (in fact I saw him when he was still Kenny Gorelick with Bruce Lorber Fusion) that Ronnie Laws was a very tasty player who always had a good band behind him. This was the period right after fusion had died down a bit and "smooth jazz" was still a stain on the bib of some record marketing "genious" when he was crapping his pants as a baby.

peteroberts · #4 03-08-2005, 04:40 PM

all you have to do is listen to Shorter or Coltrane playing soprano and you'll forget all about Mr. Gorelick.

lbanks · #5 03-08-2005, 04:51 PM

Kenny G who?

Nick man · #6 03-08-2005, 04:58 PM

I think Kenny G has ruined everything.

superbassman2000 · #7 03-08-2005, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peteroberts

all you have to do is listen to Shorter or Coltrane playing soprano and you'll forget all about Mr. Gorelick.

you took the words right out of my mouth!

caesarbass · #8 03-08-2005, 06:10 PM

Is it me or does the whole "smooth jazz" thing sound un-soulful? The production is SOOOOO super slick, and sonically the mixes are always perfect, but the tunes are really lacking...I'll take Wayne Shorter or Coltrane anyday, at least they're really saying something.

Matt Till · #9 03-08-2005, 06:14 PM

I don't think I've listened to Kenny G (knowing it) ever. I mean, I'm sure I've heard it at the grocery store, or dentist office (yeah, Waynes world). But I do not associate Kenny G with anything. Everytime I hear generic easy listening, I always assume it's him.

Matt Till · #10 03-08-2005, 06:44 PM

ha, that got an actual LOL out of me.

**Josh Ryan** · #11 03-08-2005, 06:52 PM

I felt a very juvenile urge to make this:

paintandsk8 · #12 03-08-2005, 07:28 PM

very nice blisshead

<thats me crying cuz I'm laughing so hard.

But anyways, If you want to hear some real soprano sax, check out ron blake on christian mcbride's stuff. Here's a free sample, click on the CMB live:boogie woogie waltz video. (Theres some OK bass playing in there too

)

http://christianmcbride.com/multi.html

#13 03-08-2005, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshua

Happy birthday Savior, hope you like crap!

Thief.

Folmeister · #14 03-08-2005, 08:08 PM

Here I sit, in a Martha Stewart Collection sweater, eating tidbits made from Emeril's recipes, sipping spiced cider from a Vermont Country Store mug, before an open fire. It's snowing outside, and the tranquil strains of KennyG waft through the air as I smile at my Thomas Kinkaid paintings. John Tesh is next in the CD player, and then some choice cuts from Kenny's Christmas album. Hell is not so bad, but the only TV show is the Christopher Lowell Show.

fraublugher · #15 03-08-2005, 09:18 PM

http://www.jazzoasis.com/methenyonkennyg.htm

burk48237 · #16 03-08-2005, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fraublugher

http://www.jazzoasis.com/methenyonkennyg.htm

I could not have even come close to saying it better!!! Kenny G the Elevator music of hell!!!

pentexlovesme · #17 03-08-2005, 11:06 PM

Keny G went to my high school. Every day I have to walk past his portrait and over his fancy tile in the floor. I honestly can't stand the man's music. The whole smooth jazz thing is just so slick and pre programmed that it doesn't even sound like...well..jazz to me. There doesn't seem to be anything spontanious or soulfull about it.

Can you imagine how unfair it is? The other big school in our area got Jimi Hendrix and we got Kenny G...

Gard · #18 03-09-2005, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fraublugher

http://www.jazzoasis.com/methenyonkennyg.htm

Word.

(I love Pat, musically and otherwise, great person, seriously...I once ran into him in public, he was obviously on vacation with his girlfriend & child, and he STILL took the time to be polite to me.)

Stinsok · #19 03-09-2005, 08:05 AM

Kenny G manages to suck and blow at the same time.

Mike Flynn · #20 03-09-2005, 08:36 AM

I can't really vote on any of the choices because I love soprano sax - but DESPISE Kenny G - one of the OTHER reasons I can't listen to Vail Johnson either

- and so to answer 'no' is to acknowledge that he's OK - which he isn't. All I will say is that if you listen to Wayne Shorter, Kenny Garrett, Dave Liebman - or a young (rather gorgeous) UK jazz player called Ingrid Laubrock - the last thing you'll be thinking is "Ooo, don't they sound like Kenny G" - because they play JAZZ and he just plays total shi*e muzak...that isn't even close to jazz.

My favourite criticism of KG came from an unexpected source which was Pat Metheny - who described G's playing over Louis Armstrong's 'Wonderful World' (he literally just noodles over the original) as a form of "musical necrophilia" - way to go Pat!