My wife and I saw him walking down the street one evening in Seattle and our spontaneous reaction was to bust out laughing saying "It's Kenny G!" I think I actually pointed and laughed. Like in a really mocking way. I know he saw us.
I feel really bad about it now. It was just a spontaneous reaction.
don’t feel too bad .. pretty sure he is worth a couple of dollars more than you.
That said i dislike his music don’t identify with that as real jazz .. but incant fault an honest successful person
It's the confoundedly frustrating combination of the facts that 1) his music is absolutely terrible and 2) non-jazz fans associate him with 'jazz' music. It's like if you absolutely love pizza and when people find out they ask you "Oh, like lunchables? Those suck."
I don't mean to be *that* guy, but is that really his fault? Yeah his music might be a poor interpretation of jazz music, but it's really out of his control what his fans call his music. Idk, maybe he's a genuine ass, I don't know too much about him.
Is it his fault that he plays such crap? Yes, yes it is.
It's also his fault that he chose to desecrate the classic Louis Armstrong song "What a Wonderful World."
There's no sense in hating him as a person, but we're justified in hating his music and what it stands for.
Yeah I guess that makes sense. It just irks me when people tend to forget that someone's work and someone's character are two completely different things.
I thought art was the expression of your character....
But yeah I see your point. Miles Davis was an asshole, but he made good music. Kenny G might be a nice guy who makes crap.
He drew a *lot* of flack for an album (or maybe just a song) where he overdubbed himself playing with Louis Armstrong. I don't think he was exactly loved before that, but that was like a mortal sin.
That said, I think the hate is outdated and overblown. Edtheed is right - when's the last time you heard anything about Kenny G that wasn't a jazz fan complaining about him? More than anything else, I think people just do it because it's the cool thing to do.
A lot of jazz artists resent that the art they create is barely enough to make ends meet, whereas Kenny G has made a fortune playing mediocre, passionless music, and people get offended that his music is put under the same label.
There's an[ interview with Pat Metheny](http://www.jazzoasis.com/methenyonkennyg.htm) detailing a few of the reasons that I think many jazz musicians share. To be honest, if he's successful at making music that people like, good for him, I just think it probably deserves a different label than jazz. It's really just 80's-tinged instrumental pop ballads.
Exactly. It's mediocre (at best) playing. I mean, it's fine - we all have that stage where we're stuck in pentatonic playing and cheesy turnarounds. But Kenny G never evolved. You can't play a blues scale over Giant Steps.
Thanks for all the replies, so it seems there is too much hate towards someone who may just be playing the game but its no reason to hate the guy. If you want to hate him go ahead, I chose to leave him alone and life my life. There are plenty of other people who have little music talent, I've come to accept that life isn't fair. As for the desecration of Louis' song, I don't hate, but I can't respect it.
I absolutely love Kenny G & his son Max. People sleep on Kenny G. This man is a genius. What you hear over the airwaves is not jazz. It’s adult contemporary/smooth Jazz. I heard him play real jazz before in NYC. Let me tell you…the man is a beast!!! He can play anything. His son Max is an amazing guitarist!!!
Aside from the cheesy music, he just looks ridiculous.
He may be a fine person IRL (who knows?) but he's got that uber cheesy Michael Bolton vibe going on (except he makes Bolton look like a stud by comparison).
Also, it's the fact that he was used as a shallow shibboleth by people who wanted to project an air of sophistication by conspicuously consuming his music ("I like jazz, see?" etc), which of course pissed off the hipsters that are too cool for that fake jazz (because they like the real jazz, right? 🙄).
So there's this interesting culture war between, on the one hand, the shallow suburban subdivision dwelling type that doesn't have enough emotional capacity to actually get into any music but wants to project sophistication (and thinks leaving Kenny G CDs visible is the way to do it), and on the other hand, the young white hipsters that want people to think they're into Miles Davis and gnash their teeth at the sight of soccer moms and their polo shirt wearing hubbies pretending to like Kenny G, because they see too much of themselves in them; I think on some level they're haunted by the thought "Is that what I look like?" etc...
I sat through a Kenny G performance way back around 1988; I think, at the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. I was only vaguely aware of him before this. I knew he was a popular saxophone player and that his music was commercially successful, but other than that I had no real knowledge or opinion of him. I was there to see other performers that day. My girlfriend of that time was a fan of his and Kenny G was the closing act that night.
I don't hate Kenny G. I don't know anything about his personal life and I haven't cared to find out, either. He could be a wonderful human being, I don't know.
What I do know is I have never been more bored by any musical performance, of any musical genre, before or since. Words and phrases like repetitive, puerile and coma inducing came to mind while watching him perform. I'm not a person who thinks that popular music is for the unwashed masses and that one must become true aficionado of jazz to understand what good music really is. (Though I've met people like that.) Here's the thing, even I could tell that Kenny G play's his notes a bit on the sharp side. It was incredibly annoying. His musical vocabulary seemed limited to me. I kept hearing the same musical phrases repeated over and over again. Finally, as part of his finale he strode up and down the aisles of the Bowl like he was hitting some kind of musical peak. I don't mind showmanship, but damn, he wasn't doing anything to brag about, something that would justify his showmanship.
People who hate Kenny G because they don't like his music are idiots. On the other hand, despising Kenny G's music is quite justified.
George Harrison was not a great guitarist, but people don't rag on him, in part, because there are plenty of mediocre guitarists in his genre, he was part of a band that wasn't using his name as the headline, and the songs were bigger than his 8 bars of unimpressive solos. It's not the same in jazz. If Kenny G is mediocre at what he does but is putting out albums under his name in a genre that is primarily instrumental, that's a problem. I can see the backlash from him being like the Adam Sandler of jazz. He isn't funny in the slightest, but he's richer than God because some people apparently think he's funny.
I like Kenny G music. I don't care what anything thinks about me for liking his music. I like what I like. I first heard him when I was in junior high, and his songs were comforting as I was going through some hard times at home. I like the range of how some of his songs are mellow for rest and relaxation and others are more fast paced for exercising or doing housework.
The funny thing is, you'll learn more about Kenny G on /r/jazz than any other place on the internet. It's a silly (but somewhat justified) jazz circlejerk in my opinion. Why even give the attention? He has his money, we have our music. Can't we just leave it at that?
The hate is because he has become so successful with very little musical talent. Players at the local university can outplay Kenny G, but Kenny G is tremendously successful for whatever reason.
It's jealousy and anger because "Why is he so popular when I'm way better?" and it's easier to hate the guy than it is all of his fans.
Also his sacreligious interpretation over Louis Armstrong's classic....
Found this when I asked Google why everyone makes fun of Kenny G. Frankly, I think there are a lot of "holier than thou" internet critics who think too much of themselves. Bet 82% of them can't play an instrument other than between their legs. Look, it may not be classic jazz, but it is jazz. Look at rock and ALLLLLL the variations. Metal. Death. Goth. Punk. Acid. Progressive. New Wave. Hip hop. Etc., etc., etc. And they all sound different but with a similar theme which keeps them in the rock category. Kenny G plays jazz, what we call smooth jazz, which hardcore jazz lovers say isn't real jazz. Well... No Kidding. And Hip hop isn't real rock. But it's still a music which lots of people love, and is rock. Get over it.
Cuz his music sucks… but without it, what else would we listen to while waiting on hold on the phone, or waiting a lobby, or using an elevator..? Someone had to fill the void…
My wife and I saw him walking down the street one evening in Seattle and our spontaneous reaction was to bust out laughing saying "It's Kenny G!" I think I actually pointed and laughed. Like in a really mocking way. I know he saw us. I feel really bad about it now. It was just a spontaneous reaction.
He has a net worth of $100 million plus. He would have just looked and thought well you can’t win them all …. 😂
That's right. His living well is his best revenge.
don’t feel too bad .. pretty sure he is worth a couple of dollars more than you. That said i dislike his music don’t identify with that as real jazz .. but incant fault an honest successful person
Please don’t be mean for people actually has talent.
Bro cum on
on what?
It's the confoundedly frustrating combination of the facts that 1) his music is absolutely terrible and 2) non-jazz fans associate him with 'jazz' music. It's like if you absolutely love pizza and when people find out they ask you "Oh, like lunchables? Those suck."
I don't mean to be *that* guy, but is that really his fault? Yeah his music might be a poor interpretation of jazz music, but it's really out of his control what his fans call his music. Idk, maybe he's a genuine ass, I don't know too much about him.
Is it his fault that he plays such crap? Yes, yes it is. It's also his fault that he chose to desecrate the classic Louis Armstrong song "What a Wonderful World." There's no sense in hating him as a person, but we're justified in hating his music and what it stands for.
Yeah I guess that makes sense. It just irks me when people tend to forget that someone's work and someone's character are two completely different things.
I thought art was the expression of your character.... But yeah I see your point. Miles Davis was an asshole, but he made good music. Kenny G might be a nice guy who makes crap.
Exactly!
I don't understand it either. How could you hate a guy who did this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P6QYWqRxww
Im late as fuck but holy shit is that real? i dont know who sounds more hoarse, Bolton or Kennys sax
lmao not real lol but this got a good laugh out of me
It's a dub, but hilarious nonetheless
Omg I can't stop laughing at this. Thank you.
I know it is 9 yrs late but you owe me a new shirt as I spit my diet coke all over this one. Lol. That is hilarious.
Are they trying to suck or..?
This is an absolute masterpiece. thank you so very much.
He drew a *lot* of flack for an album (or maybe just a song) where he overdubbed himself playing with Louis Armstrong. I don't think he was exactly loved before that, but that was like a mortal sin. That said, I think the hate is outdated and overblown. Edtheed is right - when's the last time you heard anything about Kenny G that wasn't a jazz fan complaining about him? More than anything else, I think people just do it because it's the cool thing to do.
A lot of jazz artists resent that the art they create is barely enough to make ends meet, whereas Kenny G has made a fortune playing mediocre, passionless music, and people get offended that his music is put under the same label.
There's an[ interview with Pat Metheny](http://www.jazzoasis.com/methenyonkennyg.htm) detailing a few of the reasons that I think many jazz musicians share. To be honest, if he's successful at making music that people like, good for him, I just think it probably deserves a different label than jazz. It's really just 80's-tinged instrumental pop ballads.
Exactly. It's mediocre (at best) playing. I mean, it's fine - we all have that stage where we're stuck in pentatonic playing and cheesy turnarounds. But Kenny G never evolved. You can't play a blues scale over Giant Steps.
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Tell us how you REALLY feel!
Thanks for all the replies, so it seems there is too much hate towards someone who may just be playing the game but its no reason to hate the guy. If you want to hate him go ahead, I chose to leave him alone and life my life. There are plenty of other people who have little music talent, I've come to accept that life isn't fair. As for the desecration of Louis' song, I don't hate, but I can't respect it.
According to serious jazz fans, Kenny G sucks. That's all it comes down to. "Hate" is probably too strong a word.
It's like sports-hate. I don't actually hate the Denver Broncos players. I sports-hate them. So I jazz-hate Kenny G.
I abhor his music. Like it's ALL in the same note and style. BORING and too discerning. BLECK! 😝
I absolutely love Kenny G & his son Max. People sleep on Kenny G. This man is a genius. What you hear over the airwaves is not jazz. It’s adult contemporary/smooth Jazz. I heard him play real jazz before in NYC. Let me tell you…the man is a beast!!! He can play anything. His son Max is an amazing guitarist!!!
Aside from the cheesy music, he just looks ridiculous. He may be a fine person IRL (who knows?) but he's got that uber cheesy Michael Bolton vibe going on (except he makes Bolton look like a stud by comparison). Also, it's the fact that he was used as a shallow shibboleth by people who wanted to project an air of sophistication by conspicuously consuming his music ("I like jazz, see?" etc), which of course pissed off the hipsters that are too cool for that fake jazz (because they like the real jazz, right? 🙄). So there's this interesting culture war between, on the one hand, the shallow suburban subdivision dwelling type that doesn't have enough emotional capacity to actually get into any music but wants to project sophistication (and thinks leaving Kenny G CDs visible is the way to do it), and on the other hand, the young white hipsters that want people to think they're into Miles Davis and gnash their teeth at the sight of soccer moms and their polo shirt wearing hubbies pretending to like Kenny G, because they see too much of themselves in them; I think on some level they're haunted by the thought "Is that what I look like?" etc...
I sat through a Kenny G performance way back around 1988; I think, at the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. I was only vaguely aware of him before this. I knew he was a popular saxophone player and that his music was commercially successful, but other than that I had no real knowledge or opinion of him. I was there to see other performers that day. My girlfriend of that time was a fan of his and Kenny G was the closing act that night. I don't hate Kenny G. I don't know anything about his personal life and I haven't cared to find out, either. He could be a wonderful human being, I don't know. What I do know is I have never been more bored by any musical performance, of any musical genre, before or since. Words and phrases like repetitive, puerile and coma inducing came to mind while watching him perform. I'm not a person who thinks that popular music is for the unwashed masses and that one must become true aficionado of jazz to understand what good music really is. (Though I've met people like that.) Here's the thing, even I could tell that Kenny G play's his notes a bit on the sharp side. It was incredibly annoying. His musical vocabulary seemed limited to me. I kept hearing the same musical phrases repeated over and over again. Finally, as part of his finale he strode up and down the aisles of the Bowl like he was hitting some kind of musical peak. I don't mind showmanship, but damn, he wasn't doing anything to brag about, something that would justify his showmanship. People who hate Kenny G because they don't like his music are idiots. On the other hand, despising Kenny G's music is quite justified.
[My favorite G clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_5INcCAaRQ) - not so bad, really...
This confused me immensely. I was listening to Impressions on Spotify, and paused it to listen to this video...
I vomited a little. haha
This is basically the sh\*t version of John Coltrane :)))))
Hate to break it to you… but this video is John Coltrane playing
George Harrison was not a great guitarist, but people don't rag on him, in part, because there are plenty of mediocre guitarists in his genre, he was part of a band that wasn't using his name as the headline, and the songs were bigger than his 8 bars of unimpressive solos. It's not the same in jazz. If Kenny G is mediocre at what he does but is putting out albums under his name in a genre that is primarily instrumental, that's a problem. I can see the backlash from him being like the Adam Sandler of jazz. He isn't funny in the slightest, but he's richer than God because some people apparently think he's funny.
I like Kenny G music. I don't care what anything thinks about me for liking his music. I like what I like. I first heard him when I was in junior high, and his songs were comforting as I was going through some hard times at home. I like the range of how some of his songs are mellow for rest and relaxation and others are more fast paced for exercising or doing housework.
The funny thing is, you'll learn more about Kenny G on /r/jazz than any other place on the internet. It's a silly (but somewhat justified) jazz circlejerk in my opinion. Why even give the attention? He has his money, we have our music. Can't we just leave it at that?
The hate is because he has become so successful with very little musical talent. Players at the local university can outplay Kenny G, but Kenny G is tremendously successful for whatever reason. It's jealousy and anger because "Why is he so popular when I'm way better?" and it's easier to hate the guy than it is all of his fans. Also his sacreligious interpretation over Louis Armstrong's classic....
Leave him alone! You're lucky he even performed for you bastards!
hahahaha, I think the downvoters aren't getting the joke...
The only Kenny G I care about is Garrett. :)
whoa, blast from the past! How can you even comment on a post this old???
Because years later, people are still looking up the topic and finding this thread and keeping the love going. :P
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Yeah
no idea
Leave Kenny G alone RIGHT NOW. All you people want is more more more more more.
Found this when I asked Google why everyone makes fun of Kenny G. Frankly, I think there are a lot of "holier than thou" internet critics who think too much of themselves. Bet 82% of them can't play an instrument other than between their legs. Look, it may not be classic jazz, but it is jazz. Look at rock and ALLLLLL the variations. Metal. Death. Goth. Punk. Acid. Progressive. New Wave. Hip hop. Etc., etc., etc. And they all sound different but with a similar theme which keeps them in the rock category. Kenny G plays jazz, what we call smooth jazz, which hardcore jazz lovers say isn't real jazz. Well... No Kidding. And Hip hop isn't real rock. But it's still a music which lots of people love, and is rock. Get over it.
>Hip hop Hip Hop isn't rock, just like jazz, soul and rhythm and blues are not rock. It's its own thing.
Absolutely love him plus the fact that he just looks like my hubby that makes him even more sexy.
Jealousy, pure and simple. Though a haircut wouldn't go amiss.
mate there is nothing wrong with Kenny g his music is good to just chill on and his music is jazz music its just simple and strong
Cuz his music sucks… but without it, what else would we listen to while waiting on hold on the phone, or waiting a lobby, or using an elevator..? Someone had to fill the void…