Kenny G has come a long way from his days as a side man with Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra at age 17. He ushered in a new era of what has become known as Smooth Jazz. Kenny G has been heralded for his successes and at the same time criticized for making popular Jazz music. The irony is that both are true. His years at Arista Records saw a string of Jazz singles that lived on the Billboard Top 40, AC and R&B charts when there wasn’t a Jazz chart for his singles. I had the pleasure of marketing some of those songs in my record label days. Today Kenny G returns with a new album on Concord titled New Standards, a collection of songs inspired by classic Jazz ballads from the 50’s and 60’s but composed by Kenny G. The lead single is Legacy, featuring the digitally re-imagined sound of Stan Getz. But it is classic Kenny G, you can almost tell it’s him from the first note. This soothing ballad will be a welcomed addition to the collection for Kenny G fans. Who knows, some of his detractors may actually like it. You can hear Legacy on Serenade to The City with Rick Joyner, Monday through Friday nights on Jazz 91.9 WCLK.
Kenny G: New Standards
Concord Records
