Saenger Theatre: Kenny G

Grammy award winning saxophonist Kenny G began playing professionally at age 17, when he performed with Barry White and his Love Unlimited Orchestra. Kenny G released his debut album in 1982, and rose to international fame following the 1986 release of Duotones. Later albums, including Breathless and Miracles, helped make him one of the top-selling artists of all time. Kenny G also won a Grammy Award in 1994, and at one point held the world record for the longest sustained note on a sax.

In 1982, after inking a deal with Arista Records, Kenny G released his self-titled debut album. Striking a balance between jazz and R&B, the record marked a solid start to his solo career.

His next two albums, G Force (1983) and Gravity (1985), continued his upward trajectory, but it was his fourth studio album, Duotones (1986), that made the saxophonist an international star. Eventually topping 5 million sales, the silky-smooth jazz album led the way for Kenny G to work with other big-name stars, including Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Natalie Cole. During his long career, he’s also performed with Barbra Streisand, Burt Bacharach and Frank Sinatra.

Over the next decade Kenny G and his smooth sound dominated the airwaves and the record charts. His 1992 release, Breathless, sold more than 12 million copies in the United States alone and became the top-selling instrumental album in history. In 1994, Kenny G won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for the track “Forever in Love.” That year he also released his first holiday album, Miracles, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

In addition to his recording success, Kenny G set a Guinness World Record in 1997 for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone. At a performance at J&R Music World in New York City, he employed a method called circular breathing to hold an E-flat for 45 minutes and 47 seconds. Although his mark was surpassed in 2000 by Vann Burchfield, Kenny G was hopeful of reclaiming the record.

While shrugging off the critics, Kenny G has also made efforts to take on different kinds of musical forms. The saxophonist has recorded albums that have displayed his appreciation for jazz standards (Classics in the Key of G, 1999), tropical sounds (Paradise, 2002), and Latin beats (Rhythm and Romance, 2008). In 2010 he delivered the R&B–driven album Heart and Soul, with contributions from Robin Thicke and Babyface, and in 2015 he returned to Latin inspirations for Brazilian Nights.

Kenny G is about to release his first new album in six years. The album, New Standards, will be out December 3^rd. The album is made up of original songs that were inspired by “the jazz ballads of the 50s and 60s,”. The first track, “Emeline,” is available now; you can pre-order the album as well.

“For this album, I wanted to try to recreate those ‘sounds’ but do it my own way, which for me meant that I would have to compose the songs myself,” Kenny says in a statement. “So I set out to compose and perform songs that capture the ‘heart and soul’ of those beloved jazz standards and to record them ‘my way.’”

“It was a wonderful (and painstaking) labor of love and I’m super proud of the end result,” he adds.

A documentary called Listening to Kenny G, which will examine why the saxophonist and his music are so polarizing, will air on HBO December 3. In addition to his music career, Kenny G is a passionate golfer. In 2006, Golf Digest named him the music industry’s No. 1 golfer.