Narcissist, The - Kenny Larkin

Advantages: Some smooth playing.
Disadvantages: Bit too smooth.

...Classics in the key of G - Kenny G Well, as promised, it is time to review some jazz, but for those detractors, I'll start with smooth, then will gradually work up to some nice hard jazz, swing and bebop. Kenny G is a very interesting saxophonist, not least in that he does not fit the mould of a classic jazz saxophonist; in fact many jazz fans are ardently NOT Kenny G fans. He looks more like an 80's prog rock star, all long perm and casual clothes. In addition he is much too 'smooth' for many jazz fans, you are certainly more likely to hear Kenny g in the lounge of a hotel than you are Albert Ayler or Ornette Coleman. His main instrument is soprano sax, but he does play alto and tenor as well. For those that don't know, all the key positions and spacings are pretty much the same on all types of saxophone, and as they go up... Read review

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Advantages: Cracking bit of blues/rock
Disadvantages: A relative unknown

...So, having done the Glitterati, it's time once again to whip up an album that the majority of you will have no idea about - Kenny Wayne Shepherd… The album "Trouble Is…" is the second studio album, released in 1997, by a young, up-and-coming blues guitarist at the time, especially following the hype of his debut album "Ledbetter Heights", and this outing showed his potential. Opening with tracks "Slow Ride" and "True Lies", they both show his incredible capabilities with an electric guitar - solos and riffs that many greats of the genre would have been thoroughly impressed and proud of. Having been so long since I last listened to the album, it stands out more now seeing as I feel I appreciate the genre more. It's complexity and "catchy-ness" are second to none when it comes to guitar music. Track 3 is "Blue On Black", a track... Read review

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Advantages: Relaxing, accessible
Disadvantages: Not for purists or snobs

...If there's one thing that will forever remind me of my honeymoon it will be the strains of Kenny G's "The Wedding Song". Honeymooning in a Jamaican hotel, Kenny G's music could be heard at least once a day as couples tied the knot in the wedding pavilion next to the beach. It wouldn't have been my idea of an ideal wedding (although the setting could not be faulted) but as my new husband and I took drinks on our balcony in the early evening there was something magical about the music that drifted through the air. For those who are unfamiliar, Kenny's music is mainly instrumental and performed on the soprano saxophone (with occasional diversions onto tenor), although this album, along with most of his other mainstream albums contains a couple of vocal numbers in a soul-style. As a saxophonist myself I was more than familiar... Read review

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