So Saxy (Breathless - Kenny G)

Member Name: cmh4135

Product:	Breathless - Kenny G
Date:	30/10/07 (101 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Relaxing, accessible

Disadvantages: Not for purists nor snobs!

If there’s one thing that will forever remind me of my honeymoon it will be the strains of Kenny G’s “The Wedding Song”. Honeymooning in a Jamaican hotel, Kenny G’s music could be heard at least once a day as couples tied the knot in the wedding pavilion next to the beach. It wouldn’t have been my idea of an ideal wedding (although the setting could not be faulted) but as my new husband and I took drinks on our balcony in the early evening there was something magical about the music that drifted through the air.

For those who are unfamiliar, Kenny’s music is mainly instrumental and performed on the soprano saxophone (with occasional diversions onto tenor), although this album, along with most of his other mainstream albums contains a couple of vocal numbers in a soul-style.

As a saxophonist myself I was more than familiar with Kenny G and the magic that he can produce. Whilst many would have him classified as a producer of “lift music” for the fellow musician one can only wonder at his undoubted ability and musicality whether or not one actually likes his commercial music.

Kenny has mastered the art of producing hummable tunes that get stuck in your head and yet, at the same time, are wonderfully relaxing and enveloping in one swoop. One cannot fail to feel just ever-so-slightly sentimental when listening – a rare accomplishment for something that is essentially background music. Kenny’s often described as a jazz musician but whilst one could (and probably should) argue that this is far from jazz there is still the kind of soulful, relaxed air about each piece that will occasionally produce a slight spine shiver if the ambient mood is right.

Breathless is Mr G’s 6th studio album and contains some of his most well known “hits”. The second track, “Forever in Love” won him a Grammy in 1993 for the best instrumental composition.

Breathless lacks any harmonic and rhythmic tension, opting rather for melodic flowing tunes that almost seem to pass, trance-like, through you and yet stick in your mind when they’re done. It is, for want of a better description, easy listening. It won’t challenge you, you won’t find it inaccessible. In fact, I’d challenge most to say that they don’t like it. It might leave you cold if it’s not your thing but I think you’d struggle to say that you couldn’t listen to it.

It’s not the kind of music that you can “get into” or actively listen to, it somehow manages to slip into the background but that’s not to say it’s not good.

Kenny has an enviable ability to express emotion through his saxophone playing and one is left in no doubt which emotion he is trying to convey. Meditaitive to the core, the lack of musical challenge is what makes this album and what allows the listener to engross themselves in the moment in their own way. Having just typed that last sentence I may just have explained to myself the title of one of Kenny’s other albums, “The Moment”, but I digress.

All the tracks are worthy of inclusion in the album with none falling short of Mr G’s usual standards. The two vocal tracks, “By The Time This Night is Over” and “Even If My Heart Would Break” fit well within the album and the atmosphere created by the instrumental tracks is left intact.

If you enjoy commercial jazz or classical offerings chances you’ll like this. George Benson, Lionel Richie and Streisand fans will probably also enjoy this easy offering.

This is an album to lose yourself in. A candlelit bath maybe, or a dimly lit room, glass of wine in hand. Sit back, relax and enjoy.

Summary: An easy listening instrumental album from technically one of the best commercial saxophonists.