Kenny G is one of today's best-selling jazz artists, known for his light pop ballads, remakes of pop standards, and tried and true holiday songs. VOA's Doug Levine tells us the Grammy-winning saxophonist is taking a different turn on his latest album, Rhythm And Romance.
Smooth jazz comes together with samba and salsa on Kenny G's first full album of Latin tunes. From an original titled "Salsa Kenny" to the Latin classic "Besame Mucho", Kenny ventures well beyond his usual melodic fare for his most engaging collection of jazz in years.
Kenny G got his start in Barry White's 40-piece Love Unlimited Orchestra. He played sax in a Seattle, Washington funk band, and dabbled in fusion with keyboardist Jeff Lorber, before moving on to his stellar solo career in the early 1980s.
Kenny has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide, earning him top honors as the best-selling instrumental artist of all time. He's recorded Latin music on previous releases, but, with his new album, Kenny injects his trademark melodic jazz into a broad range of Latin styles.
"I have always loved the rhythm of Latin music and wanted to see if my melodies would combine with this rhythm in a way that was different than anything else that I've ever heard," he says.
Kenny G's Rhythm And Romance recently hit Number One on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Chart.
