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Fans who flocked to see Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Kenny G Thursday evening can "blame it on the bossa nova."
Playing before about 3,000 at Clipper Magazine Stadium, the curly-haired jazzman's performance hit a home run as he played several songs from his Latin-inspired CD "Rhythm & Romance," which he says was inspired by bossa nova recordings of Cannonball Adderley.
On stage sporting a Lancaster Barnstormers jersey and fronting a five-piece band, Kenny G married sweet-sounding romantic saxophone with Latin rhythms.
Sax melodies on such instrumental love songs as "Sabor a Mi" and "Ritmo y Romance" floated above John Raymond's Spanish guitar, Ron Powell's thumping percussion and the sultry piano of Robert Damper.
But, "not one to force new music down the audience's throat," Kenny G peppered the crowd with funky favorites, classic ballads and even a little Christmas in July.
He began the show just as the sun dipped behind the centerfield wall, launching into an uplifting sax solo that he began in the stadium's concourse and ended on top of the third-base dugout.
Named in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone, he held a single note for about eight minutes as he strolled to the stage to kick off the show.
A sax rendition of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" evolved into a full-blown jam session highlighted by Raymond's smoking guitar and exceptional drumming by Dan Bejarano.Bassist Vail Johnson shone during a hip and funky version of Average White Band's "Pick Up the Pieces," which Kenny G recorded with David Sanborn on his "Duets" album.
Kenny G delighted the crowd with his hits, including "Forever in Love" and "What a Wonderful World," complete with video slices of Louis Armstrong.
In an interview before the show, the musician, who has sold more than 70 million albums, spoke about his decision to sever a 25-year relationship with music mogul Clive Davis to do conceptual original productions such as "Rhythm & Romance."
"I felt handcuffed because I couldn't do my own music, and Clive would not let me do that," he said.
Armed with his new Latin sound, Kenny G played one final cut from Rhythm & Romance, the party-dance hit "Sax-O-Loco," which currently tops the Smooth Jazz charts.
But, true to his word before the show that he might play Christmas music — perhaps the most popular element in his catalogue — Kenny G tickled the audience with a sax and piano duet of "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas."
E-mail: pburns@lnpnews.com
