MUSC 103
Aileen Kanarskaya
MUSC 103-D03
Liberty University
7/28/2023
Research Project: Presentation Assignment
MUSC 103
Biography
Kenny G is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, producer, and composer. His full name
is Kenneth Bruce Gorelick. He was born in Seattle, Washington on June 5, 1956. When he was
just a ten-year-old little boy, he fell in love with the saxophone. He was very active in high
school and started to take private lessons for the saxophone and clarinet in addition to his studies.
His career began when he was just seventeen years old. He was in a funk band for a few years,
going by his full name Kenny Gorelick, until he felt that he outgrew them and decided to leave.
In 1982, he was signed to Arista Records as a solo artist and began to call himself Kenny G as
his stage name. That is essentially when his entire career blew up. His first album was such a
success and climbed up to number ten on the Billboard Jazz album charts. “His next two albums,
G Force (1983) and Gravity (1985), continued his upward trajectory, but it was his fourth
studio album, Duotones (1986), that made the saxophonist an international star. Eventually
topping 5 million sales, the silky-smooth jazz album led the way for Kenny G to work with
other big-name stars, including Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Natalie Cole. During
his long career, he's also performed with Barbra Streisand, Burt Bacharach, and Frank
Sinatra.”1 Following all of the early success, Kenny G’s smooth jazz sound would take over and
dominate the charts for the next two decades. He even landed a World Guinness Record in 1997
for holding the longest note ever recorded on saxophone. Amongst all of his success, Kenny G
faced many critics that believed his style of jazz was not ‘real’ jazz, but rather contemporary jazz
with effects of modern pop. In a recent documentary released by HBO Max called ‘Listening to
Kenny G’, Kenny G states, “I don’t know if I love music that much. I guess, for me, when I
listen to music, I think about musicians, and I just think about what it takes to make that music,
1 ThemeBeez. “Kenny G Biography.” 2018. OurBiography. September 21, 2018. Kenny G Biography
(ourbiography.com)
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and how much they had to practice how good they had to be.”2 In the documentary, we learn that
Kenny G puts hard work and discipline over everything and you can see it applied by studying
his discography and success. He tried to bring different musical backgrounds and cultures
together into the music he wrote. Some examples are Latin influence and tropical island
influence. As mentioned earlier, there are many people that seem to have a passionate anger
towards Kenny G and the music that he writes. It does not bother him much. He says, “I’m just
playing the instrument the way I play it. I play it differently than other people play it. I write
songs that are different. And I do what I do. And everyone’s got a right to say what they want to
say.”3 Unfortunately, he still continues to be criticized by people all over the world for his style
of music. At the end of the day, he is the greatest instrumentalist in the world. I would encourage
everyone to watch his documentary to get a glimpse of his personality and get to know him as a
person.
There are three songs that have been a huge part of my life by Kenny G. The songs are
‘Songbird’, ‘Forever in Love’, and ‘The Moment’. All of his songs have beautiful elements of
music incorporated. To start off we have Songbird. Songbird4 is a purely instrumental melody
that is uplifting, crisp, and flows so smoothly. The general characteristic of the harmony in this
song would be described as serene. The harmony and melody are intertwined together like a rope
and bind so well together. The sound is consonant and pleasing to the ear. The tempo and beat of
the song are slow and controlled which creates a beautiful rhythm of the music we hear. Pitches
are mostly elongated throughout the song. The main instrument of the song is a soprano
2 Petrusich, Amanda. 2021. “Does Kenny G Make Good Music?” The New Yorker. December 6, 2021.
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/does-kenny-g-make-good-music.
3 Folkenflik, David. Wakeam, Kira. Bowman, Emma. 2021. “Why everyone loves to hate Kenny G according to the
jazz musician himself” NPR.org. December 6, 2021. Why everyone loves to hate Kenny G, according to the jazz
musician himself : NPR
4 Kenny G. “Kenny G – Songbird” (music video). March 17, 2011. Kenny G - Songbird - YouTube
https://www.coursehero.com/file/209242525/Research-Projectdocx/
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saxophone which some people mistake for a clarinet at times. We do hear the accompaniment of
other instruments in the background such as piano and drums. Every single instrument heard on
the track was played by Kenny G and recorded in his home studio. This gave the song beautiful
texture and variance. The timbre of this song could be described as velvety, smooth, and brassy.
Most saxophone songs have a presence of vibrato because of the nature of the instrument. This
song is mostly in binary form but does have its modifications. The song begins as mezzo piano
and builds into mezzo forte.
The second song we are going to analyze is Forever in Love.5 The melody in this song is
mostly in a musical major, however, some people might say that it can also be in a musical
minor, depending on how you interpret the music. The characteristic of harmony is similar to
Songbird. It could be described as serene and peaceful. It all comes together very nicely. The
tempo and beat of the song are slow and controlled. It has the ability to make you want to sway
which creates a good rhythm. Pitches are elongated and notes are held to create a sense of
longing and connection to the music. The main instrument heard in this song is an alto
saxophone. There are also drums heard in the background. The texture can be described as
smooth and well-rounded. The timbre of the song is delicate and silky. The musical piece is in
song form and tells a beautiful story. The song begins on the mezzo piano and then transitions
into mezzo forte when the saxophone comes in. The background instruments continue in mezzo
piano.
The last and final song we will analyze is The Moment.6 This song has a lot of melodic
contours. It is organized in a stepwise motion and is very easy to follow. The harmony heard in
5 Kenny G. “Kenny G – Forever In Love” (music video). October 25, 2009. Kenny G - Forever In Love - YouTube 6
Kenny G. “Kenny G – The Moment (Official Video)” (music video). October 25, 2009. Kenny G - The Moment (Official
Video) - YouTube
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this song is consonant and flows beautifully with the melody. The tempo and beat of the song is
about medium speed. There is an ongoing rhythmic structure in this song that keeps one engulfed
in the music. The main instrument heard in this song is a soprano saxophone. In addition to
saxophone, we hear piano and drums (as most of his songs include). The saxophone transitions
from strong and soft notes which creates a nice even texture throughout the piece. The timbre of
the song is vibrant, delicate, and smooth. This musical piece is in song form. The song begins
with mezzo piano and moves into mezzo forte. At times in the song, we hear crescendo where
there is a beautiful build up to a big note.
I grew up listening to Kenny G all the time because my parents would blast it on our tape
player. I would dance in the living room with my dad to so many of his songs. The three songs I
analyzed today were played on repeat over and over again. His music not only brings me joy and
peace, but it also brings back warm memories that I never want to forget. Kenny G has been
influential as a person and his music has been and still is my safe space. I feel relaxed, less
stressed, and at peace when I hear his songs come on. I think it is important for everyone to learn
about Kenny G and what goes on behind the making of his music. His songs are not just songs,
but stories told through a beautiful instrument. People are quick to judge and criticize, but at the
end of the day, we are all human beings. Everyone has their own unique talents and gifts. It is our
duty as Christians to honor the Lord with the talents that He has given us and share them with the
world.
Bibliography
Folkenflik, David. Wakeam, Kira. Bowman, Emma. 2021. “Why everyone loves to hate Kenny
G according to the jazz musician himself” NPR.org. December 6, 2021. Why everyone
loves to hate Kenny G, according to the jazz musician himself : NPR
MUSC 103
Kenny G. “Kenny G – Forever In Love” (music video). October 25, 2009. Kenny G - Forever In
Love - YouTube
Kenny G. “Kenny G – Songbird” (music video). March 17, 2011. Kenny G - Songbird -
YouTube
Kenny G. “Kenny G – The Moment (Official Video)” (music video). October 25, 2009. Kenny G
- The Moment (Official Video) - YouTube
Petrusich, Amanda. 2021. “Does Kenny G Make Good Music?” The New Yorker. December 6,
2021. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/does-kenny-g-make-good-
music.
ThemeBeez. “Kenny G Biography.” 2018. OurBiography. September 21, 2018. Kenny G
Biography (ourbiography.com)
