Kenny G Much More Than Background Music

Kenny G Monday, June 9, the Arena

Kenny G stepped out of the elevator and onto the stage Monday night.

And in doing so, this sax guy - oft-criticized for an easy-listening fare more suited for a long ride in a tall building - showed that even he can kick up the heat.

To 5,700 thrilled fans, the Seattle jazzman with a proclivity toward mellow mood music, tooted his own horn for two hours at the Spokane Arena - reappearing for not one, but two audience-demanded encores.

Kenny G’s live performance breathed surprising color and texture into music that - to non-G-Man fans - usually sounds like little more than pale background music.

Where his albums seem to hover under the emotive radar, his live set crested over the audience with sultry energy. Where his sax sounds thin and forgettable on stereo, his concert instrumentals took on a fresh and provocative feel.

Backed by a two-man drum/percussion team, a bass player, guitarist and keyboard player, tunes like his Latin-flavored “Havana” rolled seamlessly from soothing sax warble into rollicking rhumba.

Whether or not you like his style, one thing was clear: This horn boy can play.

The audience aaaahed in amazement as he drew out an impossibly high note for more than three minutes without stopping - thanks to a circular breathing technique that allows him to breathe in and continue blowing his horn at the same time.

Slipping his fingers over the keys like a maniacal masseuse, G urged a stunning firestring of notes from his saxophone on several occasions.

What could have easily turned into a dull man-and-his-sax stage show, instead clipped along nicely. The G-Man clearly knows how to work his audience.

On several occasions he bobbed like the Pied Piper throughout the audience, serenading women both young and old.

“Sometimes a little spit comes out of the end here, so watch out,” he said, teasing the audience around him and pointing to his soprano sax.

Kenny G also knows when not to work the audience.

Maybe his lips get tired, or maybe he realizes the sax gets a tad tedious after a while - whatever the reason the G-Man wisely knew when to step aside and let his band members take front stage.

The stellar percussion team made up of Bruce Carter and Ron Powell took turns walloping the audience with congas, tambourines, a gong and all manner of rhythm device. They, too, earned a standing ovation.

Bassist Vail Johnson whipped out a funk-charged solo that dipped toward heavy metal proportions but still managed to delight the largely middle-age audience.

To unbelievers, Mr. G’s live show was a surprisingly energetic performance.

To those who were already in love the G-Man, Monday night merely confirmed what they already believed - that this saxophone player’s style may not please jazz purists and critics, but it sure does thrill his fans.

, DataTimes