What a strange thing it must be to be the standard bearer for an entire genre of music. To be the lone holdout representing the style you love, after the popular music world has moved on. 

Such was the fate of Kenny G in the 1980s and ’90s. 

These days, it’s even harder to find jazz holdouts in pop music, but Kenny G is bringing his distinctive sound and familiar smooth jazz to Honeywell Center in Wabash on Friday, Nov. 15, on his Miracles Holiday & Hits tour.

Entering world of jazz

Around the time Kenneth Bruce Gorelick began his musical career at 16 playing with Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra, the ranks of jazz musicians on popular music charts were already wearing thin. George Benson was dragging the remains of jazz through the disco era. Herbie Hancock was trying to resuscitate the genre in an electronic music fusion with the unexpected pop hit “Rockit.” 

It felt like the culture was shifting away from America’s only true original art form.

Legendary music producer Clive Davis heard Gorelick’s saxophone rendition of Abba’s “Dancing Queen” and was so taken by the performance that he signed him to a record contract. Successful musicians need snappy stage names, so he took on the moniker “Kenny G.”

His first few albums performed well in the jazz world, reaching platinum status and bringing opportunities to collaborate with established performers like jazz synthesizer pioneer Kashif. 

To the larger public outside the jazz world, he remained virtually unknown.

Entering the mainstream

In 1986, his life would change with the release of the album Duotones and the instrumental “Songbird.” 

Duotones was a surprising pop crossover hit, selling 5 million copies in the U.S., reaching No. 6 on the Billboard chart, and finding listeners all over the world. The album was a hit, but “Songbird” was a smash. 

Kenny G’s smooth and velvety sax was everywhere. It was the perfect chill-out moment in the manic pop music scene of the mid-’80s. Simultaneously calming and seductive, its production sheen was perfect for the new clean digital sound of the music CD.

“Songbird” remains indelible in our culture, and it keeps coming back. In the ’90s, the early days of The Weather Channel featured a continuous loop of the song as background music for their scroll of various cities’ meteorological reports. Decades later, it was featured as the sound of calm for the lead character of the hyperkinetic driving movie Gran Turismo.

More success followed the release of “Songbird,” with Kenny G dropping a few modest pop hits, scoring soundtrack appearances on massive hits like The Bodyguard, collaborating with legends like Aretha Franklin, and building a reputation as a strong live performer. 

Those performances were preserved in the album Kenny G Live, which became an inexplicable monster hit in China. Chinese businesses have come to use the song “Going Home” from that live album to indicate when they are ready to close. It’s familiar to generations of Chinese residents as a song that signals the time to finish their business and go back to their family.

Ruffling feathers

Throughout all his massive success, Kenny G has faced criticism from his own community. 

His commercial achievements make him an easy target for jazz purists. When asked about Kenny’s jazz credentials, legendary saxophonist Branford Marsalis wasn’t having it.

“When all these jazz guys get in a tizzy over Kenny G, they need to leave Kenny alone,” he said. “He’s not stealing jazz. The audience he has wouldn’t be caught dead at a real jazz concert or club. It’s not like some guy says, ‘You know, I used to listen to Miles, ’Trane, and Ornette. And then I heard Kenny G, and I never put on another Miles record.’ It’s a completely different audience.”

That audience continues to grow for Kenny G. He’s been remixed by The Weeknd. He was featured in The Spongebob Movie. He’s even done a collaboration with his son, a heavy metal guitarist. 

If it isn’t familiar by name, go ahead and seek out “Songbird” on your favorite streaming service. You’ll recognize it, and maybe it will bring you a little respite from the manic days of 2024. 

If that isn’t enough calm for you, his remarkable live performance might be just the thing.