Kenny G documentary says saxophonist is a ‘composer, innovator and great musician’

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Kenny G always turns up the heat – and the heat gets turned up.

Kenny G has been honoured by the National Endowment for the Arts in America.

In his seven decades on the planet, Kenny G has recorded 30 albums, 11 of which hit the US Top 20, while he’s had two smash hits: Hold Me Now and Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).

And now, there’s a new documentary about the saxophonist, entitled Kenny G – The Alchemy of Music, which not only chronicles his career, but also looks at his much-loved performances and lengthy record label tenure.

“You hear a story of the importance of saxophones in history, and there’s no question he is one of the greatest saxophone players of all time,” says director Peter Speck.

“But he’s also very insightful in terms of jazz and performance and also in terms of his career longevity, and the longevity of saxophones themselves.”

The short film takes a retrospective look at the much-loved saxophonist and inventor of the saxophone, and also features a high-profile range of musicians, from political commentator Mark Green to jazz great Kamasi Washington.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Kenny G formed a long-term partnership with RCA Records, one of the most storied – and least publicised – of the American music majors.

“Everybody in the film talks about Kenny G as an innovator and as a musician, but also, he was as much an innovator as a great musician. [He’s a] renaissance man.”

Kenny G – The Alchemy of Music hits theatres from 5 January, and is available online on BBC iPlayer. It was produced by the documentary award-winning collective Into The Sound Films.

The National Endowment for the Arts awarded Kenny G’s Performance Recording Fund charity $30,000 (£23,000) to help fund the 10-minute documentary.

Kenny G – The Alchemy of Music is directed by Peter Speck, and produced by Into The Sound Films (Harriet Goodwin, James Brough, Hannah Davis and Tamika Martin).

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