美國首席演奏音樂巨星肯尼吉自1987年以薩克斯風演奏曲"Songbird"勇奪排行榜第4名的佳績后，帶動了樂壇的薩克斯風流行風潮，不僅法蘭克辛納屈、艾瑞莎富蘭克林、席琳狄翁、惠妮休斯頓、唐妮布蕾斯頓等巨星都爭相邀請肯尼吉跨刀演奏，就連美國總統柯林頓都公開稱贊肯尼吉的薩克斯風才情。肯尼吉的樂聲，凝聚了爵士樂的摩登情調，以及流行樂的迷人氣息，為現代都會提供了絕佳的休閑情趣，20年來，他以全球超過7000萬張的專輯銷售，高居演奏樂界的冠軍龍頭地位，同時也擠身當代樂壇最受歡迎的流行樂手。 by Scott Yanow Kenny G has long been the musician many jazz listeners love to hate. A phenomenally successful instrumentalist whose recordings make the pop charts, Kenny Gs sound has been a staple on adult contemporary and smooth jazz radio stations since the mid-80s, making him a household name. Kenny G is a fine player with an attractive sound (influenced a bit by Grover Washington, Jr.) who often caresses melodies, putting a lot of emotion into his solos. Because he does not improvise much (sticking mostly to predictable melody statements), his music largely falls outside of jazz. However, because he is listed at the top of contemporary jazz charts and is identified with jazz in the minds of the mass public, he is classified as jazz. Kenny Gorelick started playing professionally with Barry Whites Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1976. He recorded with Cold, Bold & Together (a Seattle-based funk group) and freelanced locally. After graduating from the University of Washington, Kenny G worked with Jeff Lorber Fusion, making two albums with the group. Soon he was signed to Arista, recording his debut as a leader in 1982. His fourth album, Duotones (which included the very popular Songbird), made him into a star. Soon he was in demand for guest appearances on recordings of such famous singers as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Natalie Cole. Kenny Gs own records have sold remarkably well, particularly Breathless, which has easily topped eight million copies in the U.S.; his total album sales top 30 million copies. 1994s holiday album Miracles and 1996s Moment continued the momentum of his massive commercial success. He also recorded his own version of the Celine Dion/Titanic smash My Heart Will Go On in 1998, but the following year he released Classics in the Key of G, a collection of jazz standards like Round Midnight and Body & Soul, possibly to reclaim some jazz credibility. Faith: A Holiday Album was released that same year, followed up by a limited edition re-release of the 1997 Greatest Hits disc. 2002 found Kenny G dipping into tropical territory with Paradise, which featured guest appearances by Brian McKnight and Chanté Moore. This was followed by a music video collection, another holiday album, entitled Wishes, and, in 2003, a second greatest-hits collection, Ultimate Kenny G. Perhaps in a bid to shake up his discography a bit, in 2004 Kenny G released At Last...The Duets Album, which featured duets with LeAnn Rimes and Chaka Khan. Two years later, smooth jazzs king of the soprano sax returned to a purely instrumental approach on the brassy, big-band-inspired albums Holiday Collection and Im in the Mood for Love. 2006 was also the year the artist was dubbed the best golfer in music by Golf Digest, beating out Vince Gill for the number one spot. 更多>>