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TRAVELAPE > TRAVELAPE TICKETS
Kenny G.
in
Chicago
In making his fifteenth album for Arista Records, international superstar and Grammy Award-winner Kenny G - acknowledged as the most successful instrumental recording artist in contemporary music history - faced the kind of creative challenge only someone who has sold 70 million albums over two decades would have to consider. His quandary was how to make an album that would be personally and artistically satisfying while providing his worldwide audience with music they might not expect from him.
Kenny’s new recording AT LAST...THE DUETS ALBUM, which features a star-studded line-up of great artists performing classic songs and contemporary hits, provided the solution. A record that once again illustrates Kenny’s time-honored skill as a musician at the top of his game, AT LAST...THE DUETS ALBUM boasts a cast of extraordinary performers from a range of musical genres: Yolanda Adams, Burt Bacharach, David Benoit, Earth Wind & Fire, Daryl Hall, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Brian McKnight, Richard Marx, David Sanborn, Arturo Sandoval and Barbra Streisand.
Originally conceived as an album of duets with other instrumentalists, Kenny recalls a pivotal conversation with legendary executive Clive Davis, Chairman and CEO of BMG Music Group who first signed Kenny to Arista Records in 1982 and who served as Executive Producer for the project: "When I first talked with Clive about my idea of doing duets, he suggested that I not limit myself to instrumentalists. I think of Clive as my friendly provocateur when it comes to creating new challenges as a recording artist. He has such an instinct for picking the right songs and the right singers: I mean, who else would have thought of Chaka Khan singing "Beautiful," the Christina Aguilera song? Once we got started, the musical challenge for me was finding the right places to play, the right notes on the right song at the right time..."
The all-important selection of songs for the project came from Davis, Kenny’s longtime musical associate and Grammy-award winning producer Walter Afanasieff, Kenny himself and members of the Arista staff. Creating AT LAST...THE DUETS ALBUM afforded Kenny an opportunity to work with many of his personal musical heroes and heroines. "Arturo Sandoval has been a musical hero of mine for so long. He is such a great trumpeter and I love everything about his style. I felt that if he agreed to play on my record, it would be a true honor," enthuses Kenny. Sandoval, a Grammy winner in his own right, duetted with Kenny on the album’s title track, the timeless standard "At Last" (most often associated with Etta James).
Similarly, the chance to work with soulful divas Chaka Khan and Gladys Knight was thrilling for the Seattle, Washington-born superstar 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). "Both of those women are real legends," he notes. "Chaka is someone I always wanted to work with and she does such great things on "Beautiful." Walter A. did all the rhythm tracks and produced the vocals first and it was like a puzzle in terms of how I complemented what she did vocally."
Gladys Knight offers a heartfelt reading of the classic "Misty" and it was the first song cut for Kenny’s album. "What she did was beautiful," he comments. For the musician who has been acknowledged as the best selling instrumentalist in the world - with the proud distinction of having the best-selling instrumental album of all time (1992’s BREATHLESS) and the best-selling Christmas album ever (1994’s MIRACLES) - working on a funky, hip version of Outkast’s 2003 smash "The Way You Move" (co-produced by Walter Afanasieff and neo-soul hit maker Raphael Saddiq) was a real milestone. "When I was in high school, I used to buy Earth, Wind & Fire records and listen to them all the time," Kenny says. "I could never have dreamed that one day, they would be playing on one of my albums! I mean, having Philip Bailey and Maurice White on the record...it is amazing!"
AT LAST...THE DUETS ALBUM is literally filled with outstanding performances from the diverse artists included on the project. Gospel superstar Yolanda Adams turns in an unforgettable reading of R. Kelly’s "I Believe I Can Fly" and Kenny says, "It was tough finding a place to play on that track and at first it seemed insurmountable but with a lot of direction from Clive I pulled it off." The 1985 Wham! smash "Careless Whisper" was the one song Kenny picked and it’s pop and R&B star Brian McKnight (who worked with Kenny on his 2002 album PARADISE) who adds his special vocal touch to the track. Award-winning country hit maker LeAnn Rimes "sang brilliantly" on the Bryan Adams 1991 multi-million selling "(Everything I Do) I Do For You," says Kenny, who has performed with Rimes in the past. "I’m a big fan of hers and from the first notes, she was just great."
AT LAST...THE DUETS ALBUM features stellar readings of such tunes as "Baby Come To Me," the 1982 James Ingram-Patti Austin gold single by famed singer/songwriter Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates) and brings together some of Kenny’s longtime friends including world-renowned composer Burt Bacharach who plays "Alfie," the classic he wrote with Hal David; pianist extraordinaire David Benoit featured on the Norah Jones hit, "Don’t Know Why"; singer/songwriter Richard Marx, who Kenny notes, "has been one of my very close friends for many years" and who offers a new reading of the Elton John-Bernie Taupin ’76 classic "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word"; and superstar (and Kenny G-neighbor) Barbra Streisand who sings "The Music That Makes Me Dance," the recording of which Kenny says was "truly a labor of love."
The last song cut for the album was a funky workout with longtime hero David Sanborn on the ‘70s Average White Band smash, "Pick Up The Pieces" and notes Kenny, "It’s the first time I’ve ever done a duet with another saxophonist. I am so honored to have David on my record. I mean, when I first stepped onto the scene, David and the late Grover Washington Jr. were the main guys. I’ve always respected David and I am so happy to have him on this album."
It comes as no surprise that the ‘A’ list of artists contributing to AT LAST...THE DUETS ALBUM would so readily agree to participate with Kenny G on the project. An artist who effortlessly bridges the genres of pop, jazz and R&B with his distinctive and instantly recognizable style, Kenny G has distinguished himself as a master craftsman through his fourteen best-selling albums for Arista Records.
He began nurturing his natural gift while playing sax in the high school band in his hometown of Seattle, Washington. 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 (on the hit single "By The Time This Night Is Over") and Aaron Neville (on "Even If My Heart Would Break"). BREATHLESS was followed in 1994 by MIRACLES: THE HOLIDAY ALBUM, which also set a record as the best-selling Christmas album in history with over 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 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 like Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Babyface, Celine Dion, Frank Sinatra and Dionne Warwick, among others. In 1991, Kenny performed the score and theme for the Julia Roberts film, "Dying Young" and in 1998, he recorded his own version of "My Heart Will Go On," the theme from the movie "Titanic."
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 which became the most-added track on Adult Contemporary, NAC and Urban AC radio formats when released in August 2002. Tracks like the album’s title cut, the wistful "Malibu Dreams," the album's closing cut, "Peace," and "Midnight Magic," a so-funky jam with a decidedly 'old school' feel that featured key musicians such as guitarist Phil Upchurch, keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, pianist Randy Waldman and drummer Donnell Spencer provided Kenny’s loyal and longstanding audience with yet another album to treasure and enjoy.
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." The best-selling set included time-honored tunes such as "Do You Hear What I Hear," "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen," a medley of "Deck The Halls" and "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" and a very timely emotionally-charged new "Freedom Mix" of the evergreen "Auld Lang Syne" which had been previously included as a bonus cut on 1999’s double-platinum best-seller FAITH - A HOLIDAY ALBUM.
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"). "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." Asian audiences may have to wait their turn now 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..."
Executive producer Clive Davis adds, "Kenny has had a phenomenal career as America's premier instrumentalist. This album will be a milestone for him as he marries truly wonderful songs, many of which were written during the last ten years, with his spellbinding unique talent and the voices of some of the best singers of any era. It will be Kenny at his all time best."
While there are no immediate plans to do so, the idea of a show or a tour with many of the artists on the new album is certainly appealing and Kenny concludes, "I’d love to do a DVD with all of them and who knows, if the record is very successful, it could happen." Such success is assured for there’s no doubt that AT LAST...THE DUETS ALBUM will follow its fourteen predecessors as a best seller and rewarding artistic accomplishment, another addition to the list of achievements that have made Kenny G one of the most consistently popular artists in the world of contemporary music.
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