Kenny G

Kenny G brings Latin sound to Palace Theatre

by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment Coordinator
The Advoacte
June 5, 2008

Kenny Gorelick, the Malibu-based, Seattle-raised soprano sax prodigy, known to most as Kenny G, is out promoting his latest album, “Rhythm & Romance,” his first Latin album and first album of original material since 2002.

In advance of his appearance at the Palace Theatre on Wednesday, the G-man took time to chat about his latest album, his transition from Arista Records to Concord Records and Starbucks and the secrets behind his longevity.

Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me; I really appreciate it. I know you’re out on tour. Where are you now?

No problem, thank you for the interest. I’m actually at home in my studio in L.A. I just finished my daily 2 1/2 hour practice session.

So tell me about his new album? I know you left your former record label (Clive Davis’ Arista Records) so you could produce it. What was so special about this new endeavor?

Well, it’s an all Latin record, with all original music. I knew this time I wanted to write the songs and I wanted to have it be in a Latin feel. It was challenging to write Latin songs but so fun to do. I would be in the studio with live Latin musicians in the background and that’s not usually how I record.

They (Arista) just weren’t interested in this record and we basically had a falling out that just couldn’t be rectified.

So why a Latin album?

I’ve always dabbled in it on my previous records. There’s a song we always play live called “Havana,” I started thinking, “what about a whole album like that?” I just wanted to see if I could come up with an album like that and be really proud of it.

I know the album came out back in February; how do you think it’s being received?

They really like it, they really, really do. We play mainly the songs people have already heard before, but we always do an unplugged setting in the middle where we play our Latin songs for four or five minutes. Mainly so people can get an idea of what’s on the new record. Radio is so different today … you can’t expect that people are coming to concert after hearing the new record. I think they’re mainly coming to hear my body of work. But, usually after they hear [the new Latin songs] they go crazy.

I try to give people a reason to want more of my music, try to make them believe my Latin record is something they need to add to their music library.

You’re arguably the best at what you do. Why the need for two-hour practice sessions every day?

It takes a long time to make the saxophone get that right sound. A really good sound takes years. You can pick up a guitar and just play, same as with a piano, but not necessarily with the saxophone. I’m not really practicing notes but more just a need to put the time in.

You also need a lot of diaphragm strength too. You need time on the instrument so you’re physically ready. It’s like making up my own exercise routine. I have the TV on when I practice. It’s just a commitment. If people like me and want me to play for them I better be my best.

What would you say you are most proud of in your career?

That’s a really tough question, I’m not exactly sure there is an answer. Each record means something different to me. Maybe my first Christmas record, no one was really making Christmas records back then and it became, or I guess still is, the most successful Christmas record in history. And we just did it the way we felt it was supposed to be, we didn’t set out to do anything special. It was really fun, I loved the way it came out.

You’ve been in the business a while and have come to be known for forcing instrumental music into pop culture. How do you continue to do that?

A lot of luck really, you’ve got to be lucky at some point. There’s no way to calculate that my sound was going to be popular. It was just the right exposure and right airplay. Back then DJs were able to make a lot of their own decisions, now many radio stations are owned by a few people, so it’s more difficult. But I got some good luck and timing was good. There’s a lot of magic that goes along with it.

So what made you decide to go with Starbucks?

There’s nothing wrong with Starbucks, they’re awesome. There’s no more record stores, it just doesn’t exist. Starbucks is taking the place of that. But now, this goes back to luck and timing, they’re having some entertainment issues, and talking about taking the focus from music and putting it back on just coffee. A month into me going with Starbucks entertainment they’re not doing what they need to. So luck can go both ways (laughs).

So what does that mean for you? Are you looking at other labels?

I’m not really sure, my next record may not be at Starbucks. I would love for it to be there, but I think they’re shying away from it, moving more back to selling coffee than selling records. Like I said, I would love to, but I don’t see that happening.

What’s next for Kenny G?

I don’t know, anything can happen. Any kind of record really. Not sure when I’ll do it, probably won’t make a record until next year. I don’t feel like I need to get a new record out there, just trying to get people to go to my Web site and get the new album.

What advice do you have for the young instrumentalist out there, hoping to follow in your footsteps?

Just do it if you love it and keep doing it if you love it. Always try to become the best, and when I say that I mean your best. If you get so good that the world can’t say, “no” to you, then you have a career. And really just do it because you love it. Not to sell records or make money, do it because you want to put your sound out there. If you keep working on that, things will pretty much take care of itself.

Kenny G appears 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St., Columbus. Tickets are $42.50 to $62.50; call (614) 469-0939 or visit www.ticketmaster.com for more information.

Check out my review of the show at www.NewarkAdvocate.com/entertainment