Happy Birthday to a great musician

Kenny Lofton, even, but definitely not Kenny G.

 

Kenny Lofton can't hit Kenny Rogers.

And for my money, it doesn't get any better than when he sings "Islands in the Stream," with Dolly Parton.

 

Or "Lucille". What a bitch. The nerve to leave him with four hungry children and a crop in the field. Perhaps that was his inspiration for "Ruby"

 

Tell you what, go out and get some John Coltrane, or if you want something contemporary Joshua Redman. Then we'll talk about great saxophonists.

 

I know Kenny G. isn't Coltrane but since you know jazz, tell me honestly what is wrong with Kenny G?

 

It's not jazz. That's the trouble.

It's easy listening that offers no moments that make you go "wow", or passages where the line has gone so far away from where it started that you have no idea where it will go next.

It has no dissonance, no soul, no moments where you can feel the musician tearing notes out of himself.

It's having one take that you can recreate when you go on tour, instead of something that becomes brand new every night, depending on the mood of the band leader, band and crowd. Coltrane, Davis and others would have seperate cuts of the same tune on the same record, and they would sound like night and day. Everything Kenny G records sounds like it got pressed out of the same cookie-cutter.

 

You're talking from a purist view and I understand that. I think enny G's jazz fusion made the art more commercially appealing.

 

He made himself a lot of money. I don't think many people who buy Kenny G CD's go out and get Thelonius Monk. Charlie Mingus or Miles Davis records afterwards.

He's probably a better golfer than he is a musician.

 

I have them both. I take each artist at their own merits and strengths. You are right, Kenny G. can't touch those jazz greats, but he's still a great commercial musician and a success story.

 

You may, but you think most people who buy Kenny G records do?

I remember when Harry Connick Jr. was going through a little of this when he brought out some of his big band albums in the early 90's. "Next Sinatra" all that. So what did he do. Went off and made "She" and "Star Turtle" both completely different from his previous stuff, especially ST, still one of my favorite albums. Of course, the easy listening crowd went ape towards him.

Connick dabbled in movies, but now is still turning out great music, especially his "enter age here" series of albums, and like Courtney Pine, all of the Marsalis' and Redman, he's still growing as a musician.

Kenny G, on the other hand, took the easy way out and worked more on his golf game than his musicianship. And it shows.

 

What ISN'T wrong with Kenny G?