THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 29, 1996 TAG: 9607290065
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Concert Review
SOURCE: BY DAVID SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 44 lines
After the sixth jet thundered overhead during Kenny G's show Sunday night at the Amphitheater, the saxophonist stepped to the microphone and asked innocently, ``Are we near an airport?''
If Mr. G has a firm grasp of the obvious, his song list was a no-brainer as well: a grab bag of his easy-listening favorites that delighted his clearly adoring fans.
Backed by a five-piece band, (keyboards, guitar, bass, drums, and percussion), the leader juggled tenor, alto and soprano saxes.
On such numbers as the infectious, danceable ``G Bop'' and the minor-keyed ballad ``Sister Rose,'' he was able to stretch out, displaying his considerable solo skills: rapid runs, bluesy riffs, and sheets of sixteenth notes.
He held one note for what seemed like minutes, earning four ovations in the process.
Kenneth Gorelick took up the saxophone as a child. At 17, he played in Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra. After earning a degree in accounting from the University of Washington, he joined the Jeff Lorber Fusion band.
He went solo in the early 1980s and made several instrumental albums before ``Silhouette'' became a hit along with a single from that album, ``Songbird.''
Kenny G's slick, ``contemporary jazz'' style has made him one of the most commercially successful instrumental recording artists in history.
Is it really jazz? Nah. It's pop music without words. So let the purist sneer.
It's music for a candlelight dinner or a midnight tryst. It's music for a summer evening at the Amphitheater - jets and all. ILLUSTRATION: MOTOYA NAKAMURA
During his performance Sunday night at the Virginia Beach
Amphitheater, Kenny G juggled tenor, alto and soprano saxes. He
played such easy-listening favorites as ``G Bop,'' ``Sister Rose''
and ``Songbird.''
CONCERT REVIEW
Kenny G, Sunday night at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater by CNB