For better or for worse, any internet discussion about Kenny G will bring out interesting points.

Read the interview on the Jazz Times website because it is quite interesting.

To each his/her own!

The guy is not without talent. I think many jazz fans consider him a sellout. But, why not? If you were offered a serious amount of money to sell music to the masses as a sax player wouldn't you? I would.

Don't we all wish we could get paid to do something we love?

Whoops. There are 2 interviews. And I read the old one first.
Although it was published in 1999, I think many of the truths he told then still apply today.
For ease of finding it: Kenny G Changes His Tune

Here's the new one. Also excellent:
Practice What You Play

This is the most active thread since several weeks. The reason Kenny G. He is the person in smooth jazz, where are parting the ways. No one else is hated so much by jazz and contemporary jazz fans and loved by smooth jazz fans.

Announcing his new album produces mega hits on many websites and you can be sure that he sells more albums than the rest of the artists of the complete genre. It's incredible but true. He is famous like a super star and released platinum and gold certified albums. So no radio station would pass his music and Concord is happy to have him in their roaster.

I'm tired of Walter Afanasieff's production. I know he's Kenny G's boy and Afanasieff isn't a bad producer per se but I think Kenny G should see what someone else can do. It's hard for Toni Braxton to release platinum and gold certified albums in view of Lady GaGa and Ke$ha so I doubt that Kenny G is doing it. He has to work his butt off like everyone else in the game.

Bring in Harvey Mason, Jr. to do the vocals and production because he excels in it. A lot of the vocals on smooth jazz albums are not that good because they hire people who aren't good songwriters to begin with.

I would definitely agree that Kenny G did not invent the smooth jazz genre (not the radio format) at all. The true founding father of smooth jazz is no one else but guitarist George Benson.

Clearly his songs such as Breezin' and Affirmation are the two songs that truly defined the smooth jazz genre. Kenny G only became the stereotypical example of a smooth jazz musician due to the success of Songbird.

Jazz X, I agree that Kenny didn't create it, but I disagree with crediting George Benson.
If one individual can be said to be the founder of smooth jazz, it was Grover Washington Jr., especially considering the impact of the soprano sax. This article also mentions Ronnie Laws, Wayne Shorter and Nathan Davis.
smooth jazz via Wikipedia

Very interesting. Here lies one of the problems with the music/format. It becomes a formula. Where's the creativity? Where's the risk taking? Wouldn't it be nice to see Kenny G try something different? Who knows, it might work for him (and for us.)

Yes... it would be refreshing to hear Kenny G try something new. The way that Herbie Hancock stretches out and does new things.