How is Kenny G perceived by the music experts? One of the great saxophonists? Or is he completely overrated?

The Cats above have valid points... Charlie Bird Parker, and Trane and Rollins are all the "best".. BUT, you got cats like Grover Washington and George Benson who are marginalised as too "POP"... But those cats were the "Bomb" in their earlier more "creative" times.. Kenn G is all cool with the "cool jazz" "easy listening" scene... but alot of Jazz cats are pop... and that is not bad.. Kenny IS a talented cat cause he"s expressing himself.. and thats JAZZ... ya dig?

You don't have to be a music expert to know the answer to your question.

You are asking this question for 1 of 2 reasons...

1.Complete laziness, as a listener. Listening to music is a skill. You have to experience the music, in the moment. If you listen to a lot of pop music, with hooks and videos, it is likely that you don't truly listen to the music.

2. You have never heard anything but the pop music I have described.

Its very simple. Do your own test.

Sit in a quiet room, with no distractions. Use a very good quality stereo, headphones are great. First, listen to an entire album of a true master of the sax. Then, listen to a Kenny G. album.

If you can't tell the difference, for yourself, then you really don't need to "know" the answer people give you. What difference does it make if you can't hear it?

The difference is obvious. JUST LISTEN FOR YOURSELF.

A simple metaphor that might help you...

If you are listening to a conversation about a subject that you know nothing about, you can tell who has something to say and who is talking BS. Right? I hope so.

PS- Kenny G. is not overrated in the jazz world. He's not underrated. He's not even considered. Seriously, I'm not kidding or being mean. Its a simple fact. But listen for yourself. Really listen. Listen, listen, listen.

I would definitely call him a businessman but not a jazz musician. Pop instrumentalist is a good term for him but so many people in the music industry associate his music with jazz. That goes to show that any record label with the funds and resources to back him, can get any jazz station to play his music in rotation with other jazz artists.

I wouldn't say he's overrated but I wouldn't put him in the same category with true legends of jazz. I don't understand how people can spend so much money to see him in concert just to hear mediocre music that isn't true jazz. Not to be negative, but if he calls himself a jazz musician, he is the "Milli Vanilli" of the jazz world.

if Kenny G is a great saxophonist, then I am next in line for the papacy.

The difference between Kenny G and a pneumatic drill is that the drill doesn't repeat itself as much.

I saw Kenny G live when he played with Jeff Lorber. He was creative, spontaneous, but somehow he fell apart. There just isn't any creativity in his playing.

I'm pretty sure Kenny G doesn't even care about playing the saxophone. I think he once said that he'd rather play golf all day but playing the sax is what brings him more money.

the guy has some "technical skills"

but his music has no soul

no feeling

boring

every song sounds the same

that's why he doesn't get any respect in the field

elevator music is the best way to describe him

it's there in the background,

but no one listens to it

Oh man, I have waited for this question for so so so long.....

He's easily one of the worst "professional" sax players of all time. calling him one of the greatest is a huge insult to anyone with any semblance of talent. I'm a college freshman sax performance major, and while I don't consider myself amazing in any sense of the word, I know that I could play circles around him. Musically, he's a child. he uses the pentatonic scale almost exclusively in his solos. He plays horribly out of tune. harmonically, his "compositions" are embarrassingly simple. His cheesy 80's electronic backing tracks sound like something from a bad porn movie. he's a disgrace to all jazz musicians everywhere.

when I was in high school, my jazz band had a "goals for the year" list in the room, and right on top, next to the stuff about all state, and competitions, was "kill kenny g."

http://www.jazzoasis.com/methenyonkennyg.htm

thats the link to this massive tirade about kenny G that Pat Metheny did. he's considered the best jazz guitarist in the world, and he just goes offf... its so funny.

so yeah... Kenny G is basically everything that is wrong with Jazz. he's probably done more to destroy it as an art form than anybody else in history...

HA! Kenny G is the antichrist in jazz. No respectable musician could ever enjoy his endless wanking and butchering of standards.

You wanna hear some great sax, go look up Charlie Parker, John Coltrane...