oregonpapa, good for you for having the courage to not get on the “beat up on Kenny G” wagon. I like good perspective. As we all know he has been a punching bag for a long time, for many claiming the Jazz higher ground. It gets tiresome. His recorded output is mostly drivel and that soprano sound......😱; almost as weird as his hair. He is not what can be considered a good Jazz player, no Coltrane, Stitt or many many unknown players out there, but as you say he actually does have some talent. I’ve heard it. He has found a commercial niche and he’s laughing all the way to the bank. His choice, and I don’t see the point in condemning him for it.
Point is, some feel that musicians have a “responsibility” to some predetermined artistic standard and that record companies have a “responsibility” to elevate listeners’ appreciation. I disagree. It is up to the listener to learn to be better listeners, become more discerning and learn to separate the wheat from the chaff. It is a cop out the other way. I wonder just how many people out there never even knew what a soprano saxophone was before hearing Kenny G. Of those, I have to believe at least a handful now have Trane’s “My Favorite Things” in their collections. Always important to consider the alternative.
Yes, it is always about the music first.
Point is, some feel that musicians have a “responsibility” to some predetermined artistic standard and that record companies have a “responsibility” to elevate listeners’ appreciation. I disagree. It is up to the listener to learn to be better listeners, become more discerning and learn to separate the wheat from the chaff. It is a cop out the other way. I wonder just how many people out there never even knew what a soprano saxophone was before hearing Kenny G. Of those, I have to believe at least a handful now have Trane’s “My Favorite Things” in their collections. Always important to consider the alternative.
Yes, it is always about the music first.