Kenny G -
Grammy winner and best-selling instrumental musician of the modern era
By Preston Turegano

Over the past 26 years, Grammy-winning smooth jazz saxophonist Kenny G has established himself as “the biggest-selling instrumental musician of the modern era, with global sales totaling more than 75 million albums.”

That, says the soft-spoken, lean musician with long curly hair, is history.

“Nobody sells millions now, except Coldplay,” he recently told Smooth Jazz News.

The lament is not an exercise in self pity. Like other recording artists/musicians, Kenny G these days is adapting to the new world order of making music, reaching listeners and selling recordings.     

Once upon a time, doing those things was relatively easy. A musician or singer made a studio or live recording that became a vinyl record, tape or CD sold in a brick-and-mortar store. Music lovers mostly learned about new recordings via over-the-airwaves radio.     

Enter the Internet and selective downloading of music, or the buying of albums from a commercial website. Hand-held portable devices such as iPods helped change the music playing and listening landscape, too. And, oh yes, satellite radio came along to shake things up.     

“I’m not happy about any of it,” Kenny G said from his home in Los Angeles. “In a perfect world, I’d take it back to where it was. Going to a record store and perusing the aisles and spending a few hours in there and reading liner notes was a very enjoyable experience that people used to do. Now, you order online, or you download. It’s not better. The challenge is how do we as artists still reach the people that we know want our music? How do we reach them to get them to buy it? I think anyone would be lying if they told you they didn’t care that their album sold.”     

One way the saxophonist is reaching his fans is via his WKGRS radio station launched about a year ago via his official website, www.kennyg.com     

“I think of it (WKGRS) as a business,” said Kenny, who also hosts weekends on Broadcast Architecture’s Smooth Jazz Network. “I know a lot about what songs to play. (Traditional) Radio has made almost everybody not a mainstream artist. I certainly don’t get airplay on radio stations that are mainstream. Radio’s very pop oriented now. There’s little to no instrumental stuff. I don’t reach the masses on radio like I used to, except the smooth jazz format, which is a great thing, but it’s also like a soundtrack. You almost don’t need to buy the record when you can just turn on the station and listen endlessly. I don’t think that stimulates record sales.”     

The challenge to WKGRS, the artist said, is selling advertising and finding an effective way to directly sell CDs to listeners. The link currently takes prospective shoppers to Amazon.com.     

“I want it to take them to my site. My goal is that you can have an autographed CD of mine the next day by buying directly from my site. I’ve asked several fellow smooth jazz artists to send me 50 to 100 of their autographed CDs so we can send them out, too.”     

Since 1982––some 10 years after then Kenny Gorelick began his professional music career as a sideman for Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra––Kenny G has recorded nearly 30 albums. His first album was appropriately titled Kenny G. As of press time, his latest CD, the Latin jazz Rhythm & Romance, has sold more than 232,000 units. Released by Concord Records, it marked the end of Kenny G’s association with Arista.     

“We had a great relationship for 26 years, but they didn’t believe in me anymore, so I had to move on,” said the man who built his career via the seductive, soothing sounds of a soprano sax.     

During his career, Kenny G has learned not to pay attention to critics.    

“My skin is a little bit thicker because of them,” he said. “Early on, I realized that everyone didn’t love me, which is perfectly fair. I don’t pay attention to the good or the bad. I didn’t let the good make me feel good and that way I didn’t have to let the bad make me feel bad.”     

Despite his phenomenal success, Kenny G has managed to escape the attention of sensationalistic tabloids, and even “TMZ,” TV’s celebrity gossip show.     

“I’m not an interesting entity for their clientele, which is just fine by me,” said G, who strives to make each of his albums new and different from his previous efforts.**
 
**The complete Kenny G feature story can be found in the September issue of Smooth Jazz News. Pick up your free copy at our radio station affiliates (see radio station page for listings), various concerts, festivals and select Southern California outlets. Or you can subscribe and receive 11 editions of Smooth Jazz News per year, mailed monthly (except January), for $35. Click here to subscribe online today.

       For more information on Kenny G, including his complete tour schedule, visit www.kennyg.com.

ON TOUR

Sept. 12

Shriners Hospitals for Children’s Rhythm on the Vine
South Coast Winery Resort & Spa
34843 Rancho California Road
Temecula, California
www.rhythmonthevine.com