Kenny G as Necrophile (...Long Post....)

[Dale]

Anybody wanna hear my recording of myself playing the kazoo over Pablo Casals's 1939 recording of the Bach Cello Suites?

Pat did get his knickers in a twist, didn't he? I'm of no mind to defend Kenny G, who I can't stand to listen to for a half-second, but Kenny's lack of taste isn't exactly a newsflash and I agree that some of Pat's body of work does tend to veer off into SlickLand. Anyway, Louis Armstrong can take care of himself, even in his present state of, uh, lateness.

[tuaz]

Nail on the head.

What I find most surprising about this is that much of Pat Metheny's music is cut from the same milquetoast cloth that Kenny G's music is. "Easy Listening Jazz"

Where is the harm in using the sounds and works from dead musicians in new contemporary publications. I think Metheny is missing a point here. Just because the musician is put in a box, doesn't mean their music can't live on. I'm no fan of Kenny G, but the reason that Metheny offers for his apparent detest of Kenny G is that he over dubbed pentatonic scales on a 2:19 recording that is 40 years old (a POP recording at that, not a Jazz recording). That seems a little jive-assed in an of itself...

I (and I'm sure lots of people) always thought Kenny G was a terrible improviser, so it's not a matter of whether he played light jazz or not, it's whether he played it well or not. I would accept Metheny's stuff as being well/skilfully played and well-improvised, even if lots of it can be described as easily palatable light jazz or fusion.

Like you, I don't see why Metheny is so upset over KG playing over Louis Armstrong's stuff. He seems upset over the principle of the act, not just the execution of it (I've not listened to it so I dunno how bad it sounds). I don't think that the concept per se of laying a track over another [dead?] person's music is so heinous.

If it's badly done, then just don't listen to it. Frankly, Kenny G is not worth busting a blood vessel over. And one thing in his favour: if his pitching was sharp, it wasn't noticeable to me.

[mkchen]

GORE lick

local boy....

Back in the '80s his sister played mandolin in our old timey/contradance string band here in Seattle. Our repertoire included a number of Irish tunes, so FWIW Kenny G is at least related to someone who has played ITM. Not that that has any bearing on anything that's been discussed above. Just felt like sharing.

Ming

[Ronbo]

Well, at least he played well enough to make a living at it. I could never make the same claim. Plus, on the good side, he has provided elevator music for the next several generations.

[Paul]

Nice rant. Even though it is supported by a lot of strong opinions it's still a sorry excuse for a bad case of professional envy. Pat should just get off of it. Judging by the colossal amount of time that he must have spent composing that screed he has too much damn time on his hands.

[Ro3b]

What I find most surprising about this is that much of Pat Metheny's music is cut from the same milquetoast cloth that Kenny G's music is. "Easy Listening Jazz"

Um. Pat Metheny's street cred is pretty much beyond question at this point. He's worked with a lot of heavy hitters in modern jazz, including Ornette Coleman, Dave Holland, and Chick Corea, among others. Actually right now I'm listening to his recording of Steve's Reich's "Electric Counterpoint." He's done some pop stuff, yes, but his work goes far beyond that. To equate him with the Gorelick Personage, or to imply that Metheny criticized him out of professional jealousy, is flat-out absurd.