Smooth jazz singer Kenny G changed the world. And while perhaps not everyone is a fan of that change—the creation of smooth jazz—the saxophone player sure has made a successful living out of it. Indeed, the 67-year-old artist (born Kenneth Bruce Gorelick) is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with 75 million records of his out in the world.
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But with all that success and notoriety, one might wonder just what Kenny G has to say about the world around him, his life, love, his craft and more. These are the 20 best Kenny G quotes.
[RELATED: Kenny G Has Always Put in the Work; Releases New LP, ‘New Standards’]
1. “Maybe I’m a dreamer, but I think the ordinary guy has just as much right to say, ‘This is a good song’ as somebody who is in the music business.”
2. “I started realizing that music is the one area where I’ve always let go. When that saxophone goes into my mouth, I get into a space where I never think about the notes I’ve already played or anticipate the notes ahead.”
3. “Maybe the biggest thing that I’ve learned musically is that anything is possible. Things can work when maybe they don’t seem like they can.”
4. “Just figure out what you think jazz is, and then if it fits into that category, it’s jazz, and if it doesn’t, it isn’t. It’s no big deal.”
5. “I think everybody has to decide what the word ‘jazz’ means to them, and that’s fine.”
6. “That’s my ideal day, time with my boys.”
7. “The whole rise of new adult contemporary music and smooth jazz was a nice surprise.”
8. “I’m very serious about what I do. I practice every day for three hours. I work on my scales; I work on my tone. But otherwise, I like to have fun.”
9. “Finally, I was no longer a student and was making music for myself.”
10. “Just because people play songs with great technique doesn’t mean the records are better.”
11. “I approach everything in my life the same way; if it feels right, I know it.”
12. “I just started as a part of the public school music program. I took lessons at the school every Friday and was a part of the school band. I was just a normal kid taking instrumental lessons at school, nothing special.”
13. “I’ve never personally criticized anyone else’s music, but I know that the public’s real problem is not the music I make but the perception that I play simple music for money only and for the notoriety and to increase my popularity.”
14. “If you go to Tiananmen Square, or go to any public area in China, you will hear my music at some point.”
15. “I live my life and play my music, and I don’t really seek out other people’s approval or accolades or things like that. I try to do what’s true to me, and how it all comes out is fine.”
16. “What is music anyway? It’s a form of communication, and that’s why I play the kind of music that I think—that I hope—can communicate with people.”
17. “I’ve learned that you simply can’t control those bad vibes.”
18. “You can’t just walk away when somebody recognizes you. You have to take some time out and talk to them. It’s not a waste of time—I just love talking to people. And I don’t do this to sell records. The truth is, I do what I do because I love it.”
19. “I was really amazed when I started hearing ‘Songbird’ on the radio. I couldn’t believe that the record company promotion department had actually convinced radio music directors to play it because there wasn’t anything like it on the radio at the time.”
20. “I’m responsive to my public, but I also follow my heart.”
(Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
