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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SMOOTH JAZZ SAXOPHONIST KENNY G JOINS HONOLULU SYMPHONY TOYOTA POPSAcknowledged as the most successful instrumental recording artist in contemporary music history, superstar Kenny G makes Pops debutARTISTS: CONCERTS: TICKETS: Honolulu – Smooth jazz and R&B superstar Kenny G will make his highly-anticipated Honolulu Symphony Toyota Pops debut on Saturday, March 15 at 8 p.m. & Sunday, March 16 at 3 p.m. at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Maestro Matt Catingub conducts this must-attend music showcase featuring Kenny G on saxophone, together with his band and the Toyota Pops orchestra. Kenny G will feature many of his chart-topping hits, including selections from his best-selling albums “At Last… The Duets Album,” “Paradise,” “The Moment” and “I’m in the Mood for Love… The Most Romantic Melodies of All Time.” Tickets start from $29 and are selling fast. This concert is generously sponsored by Toyota Dealers of Hawaii. The Seattle, Washington-born saxophonist, who has earned Grammy, American Music, Soul Train, World Music and NAACP Image Awards, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, began nurturing his natural gift while playing sax in his high school band. At the age of seventeen, Kenny G (for Gorelick) performed his first professional gig as a member of Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra. An accounting student at the University of Washington by day, Kenny’s night job consisted of performing with artists who were appearing in Seattle, including Johnny Mathis, The Spinners, Liberace and others. He was a member of a local funk group (Cold, Bold & Together) before joining Jeff Lorber’s jazz fusion band in 1979. It was while Lorber was recording for Arista that Kenny came to the attention of then-label president Clive Davis. In 1982, Arista issued the self-titled “Kenny G” set, which focused on the musician’s multi-faceted skills: Kenny played synthesizer, flute, both tenor and soprano sax, minimoog and provided horn arrangements for the album which featured a handful of his own compositions. The 1984 and 1985 platinum albums, respectively “G-Force” and “Gravity,” helped build a foundation for Kenny among R&B and jazz audiences, but it was 1986’s five-million-selling “Duotones” that provided Kenny with his breakthrough into mainstream acceptance. Buoyed by two R&B hit singles, a revival of Junior Walker’s “What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)” and “Don’t Make Me Wait For Love” (featuring Lenny Williams), Duotones began its ascent on the charts; but it was the emotive “Songbird,” a Top 5 pop smash that catapulted Kenny’s career into a new realm of international success. 1988’s “Silhouette” added four million sales to Kenny’s ever-growing collection of best-selling albums, as did “Kenny G Live” recorded in 1989 in his hometown of Seattle. Surpassing all his previous accomplishments as a recording artist, the 1992 album “Breathless” sold an astonishing twelve million copies domestically, with an additional three million sales internationally, and included guest appearances by Peabo Bryson and Aaron Neville. “Breathless” was followed in 1994 by “Miracles: The Holiday Album,” which also set a record as the best-selling Christmas album in history with more than thirteen million copies sold. Subsequent hit albums have included 1996’s “The Moment” (seven million sold), Greatest Hits (1997), “Faith: A Holiday Album” (1999) and “Classics in the Key of G,” the 1999 release in which Kenny paid tribute to his own musical heroes by imprinting his musical signature on such tunes as George Gershwin’s “Summertime” (featuring George Benson), “What A Wonderful World,” and “The Girl From Ipanema” (featuring Bebel Gilberto, daughter of Astrud and Joao Gilberto, the song’s original recording artists). In the fall of 2002, Arista released “Paradise,” which found the multi-talented music man co-writing nine of the ten tracks he produced with Grammy Award-winning producer Walter Afanasieff. An eleventh track co-produced by Kenny, “All The Way” was written and produced by multi-platinum artist Brian McKnight, who was the featured vocalist on the standout ballad. R&B chanteuse Chanté Moore lent her own vocal magic to “One More Time,” the album’s lead single that became the most-added track on Adult Contemporary, NAC and Urban AC radio formats when released in August 2002. Towards the end of 2002, Kenny’s “Wishes”- the third in a trio of holiday-oriented albums he’s made since 1994 - was released and at the time, he noted, “I just take the songs - most of which are classic holiday tunes - and do whatever I can to create an arrangement and recording that I hope will stand the test of time.” Kenny says he spent much of 2003 and 2004 “with my family and playing a lot of golf.” The co-champion of the 2001 AT&T Pebble Beach Celebrity Pro-Am golf tournament, Kenny also devoted time to piloting his own seaplane, as well as composing and recording in his own state-of-the-art studio (“Studio G”). He noted, “I also did some shows in Asia and performed for the first time in China and that was amazing. I’ve found that I can always tour Asia whether I have a new record out or not…and that’s really cool.” With the release of “At Last… The Duets Album,” Kenny expects to be busier than ever. “I think my audience will love what we did with this record. Because we have such a nice mix of artists, I think there are people who don’t usually buy my albums who will also like it…” In addition to his own distinguished catalog of work, Kenny has graced the recordings and shared the stage with a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ in contemporary music including artists such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Babyface, Celine Dion, Frank Sinatra and Dionne Warwick, among others. The Honolulu Symphony Toyota Pops series is made possible thanks to the generosity of our season sponsor, Toyota Dealers of Hawaii. The Honolulu Symphony gratefully acknowledges the support of the City and County of Honolulu Mayor's Office of Culture and the Arts. The Honolulu Symphony also thankfully acknowledges the valued support of the Honolulu Advertiser and Servco Lexus. These concerts are supported in part by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawaii and by the National Endowment for the Arts. # # # |
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