Amusing anecdote

[Greywolf]

I was playing at the jam session in my step daughter's pub last night. Last night of the Lancaster jazz festival.

There was a couple leaning on the piano right on front of me, and as we finished a number the woman leaned across to me and handed me a piece of paper. I opened it up and there were just two words printed on it.

I took one look at it and pissed myself laughing.

The two words were:


KENNY GEE


She looked a bit hurt and asked why I was laughing. I explained that amongst many jazz musicians Mr G was regarded with disdain ranging from 8 to 10 on a scale of 10 and handed back the paper. as she sort of impled Iwas making it up. I leaned across to her, took the paper from her and said 'watch'.

I tapped my fellow tenor player on the shoulder and handed him the piece of paper. He opened it and...pissed himself laughing.

She looked completely bewildered as I handed the piece of paper back and said.

'It's a jazz thing'.

 

[Pjonah]

How on Earth did he become so Popular??

Its got me beat....cringe worthy clap trap!

Just my and I guess your opinion too Greywolf

Simon

 

[jadoube]

How? Well.....I'm rather nervous about posting this... not my intention to cause offence.

Its my job to define target markets, and I recall some analysis from a few years ago on 'people who say they listen to jazz'. (Note: listen to, not play.)

By target market I mean, if you pick random people and I pick random people from within a specific socio-demographic the odds are way in my favour that I'll find more who say they listen to jazz.

Now obviously all types of people listen to jazz, but this one socio-demographic is more likely to than the others. High social class, high educational qualifications affluent, top business men ....likely to live in London, manchester, edinburgh, oxford or other trad university town

Two things about this socio-demographic

a) its quite small but innovative (in a product marketing context)
b) it will often stop doing things if everyone else follows their lead and takes it up. (they like to be ahead of the herd)

This particular socio-demographic would typically avoid music (such as kennyg) if it became commonly liked.

In marketing terms a 'new product' might initially appeal to this niche socio-demographic but will not achieve big success unless it crosses over to a wider market.

In summary he became popular because he understood that there's lots more people who don't like jazz than do like jazz.




Lights blue touch paper and retires to a safe distance.

 

[TomMapfumo]

Hi there!

A very useful contribution IMHO. I guess people in this group do not want to be thought of as "seriously uncool". I can relate to this in my personal experience - For example, my favourite Wailers album is "Catch a Fire", released before they became "Bob Marley and....." (It is the best, anyway, IMO!) but I certainly lost interest when they became more popular.

I am ignorant of Kenny G from a musical standpoint, but very aware that he would be on the "Seriously Uncool" Wall according to most sax players.

Good contribution.
Tom

 

[Mikec]

I've never knowingly heard Kenny G, so I can't comment on that, but I have to say that none of the people I know who like jazz fit your demographic, jadoube, and are as likely to listen to Mozart or Abba as Miles Davis. I don't know anyone who listens to Kenny G either, though, so I've no idea what any of this means!

 

[jadoube]

Its a probability thing which is why I stress that all types of people like jazz.

Its based on folk who answer surveys to say they listen to jazz, not measured by actually turning up to listen. To be fair they (or some of them) say they like other music as well.

My boss is that demographic. Enthusiastic about jazz (so long as its not 'modern') but also frequent visitor to chamber music recitals and opera.

Nice bloke so I'm not getting at the demographic

 

[Greywolf]

I should add that I do not have the loathing for Kenny Gee that many jazz players do, (I reserve that for country and western).

His music is not what I like to listen to or play, I find him fairly bland and unimaginative and many jazz players do seem to hold a special place in the spleen for him. I just thought it was quite amusing that of all the names she might have written, it was KG's

 

[thomsax]

" There are some facts about Kenny G that are undeniable. The most amazing may be that he is the biggest-selling instrumental musician of the modern era, having sold more than 75 million albums, singles and videos worldwide. No matter what musical world you live in, thats an astronomical figure" , writes Thomas Erdmann in Saxophone Journal vol 33 #1 Sept/Oct 2008. Erdmann is doing an interview with Kenny G.

No matter what we think about his music, he is the best in his idiom. I wish I could handle a soprano like he can. But I would choose other songs. I don't listen to him, but he?s got my respect!

Last summer we shared stage with a jazz musician that asked the audience to stay quit during his performance!!!!! :laugh:

Rock On!!

 

[thomsax]

Greywolf,

Next tiime do your own Kenny G thing. The audience will go crazy. On a Rock-gig I arranged last summer, we add "Classic, Jazzy" end to a R&B song.

Thomas

http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view&current=classicjazz.flv

 

[Pjonah]

I bet he's crying all the way to the Bank!

😡

 

[Greywolf]

Pjonah wrote:
I bet he's crying all the way to the Bank!

😡

As did Liberace!!

There's no denying Mr Gorelick is successful, but then George Bush got to the White House.

 

[Rogerb]

What would be really funny, GW (now where have I seen those initials?) would be that she wrote it 'cos she thought you looked OR sounded like KG :laugh:

(which would be worse?)

 

[daveysaxboy]

I still dont get this hate Kenny G thing,ok many hard core jazz fan's dont like his or smooth jazz thing but i still think the guy can play some great sax,to many jazz SNOB'S around for me,i like all style's of music and respect every person that sit's in his,her bedroom for year's woodshedding to learn there instrument for there joy of music.I dont buy his cd's but still think he is world class at his horn in his stlye of music he play's.

 

[Moz]

Just been to Bude Jazz festival for the first two days and the one demographic indicator you have omitted is that, in general, jazz fans are OLD. I am 54 (just) but I am a sprightly young thing compared to the general attendance.

Strange thing though...most listeners were in their sixties or greater but many, many of the players were in their twenties or thirties. Do listeners only get interested in jazz when they get older but players lose interest as they get older? Hmmmmm!?

I both listen and play so I look a hundred but feel twenty two!! 🙂

Moz

Jadoube wrote:
How? Well.....I'm rather nervous about posting this... not my intention to cause offence.

Its my job to define target markets, and I recall some analysis from a few years ago on 'people who say they listen to jazz'. (Note: listen to, not play.)

By target market I mean, if you pick random people and I pick random people from within a specific socio-demographic the odds are way in my favour that I'll find more who say they listen to jazz.

Now obviously all types of people listen to jazz, but this one socio-demographic is more likely to than the others. High social class, high educational qualifications affluent, top business men ....likely to live in London, manchester, edinburgh, oxford or other trad university town

Two things about this socio-demographic

a) its quite small but innovative (in a product marketing context)
b) it will often stop doing things if everyone else follows their lead and takes it up. (they like to be ahead of the herd)

This particular socio-demographic would typically avoid music (such as kennyg) if it became commonly liked.

In marketing terms a 'new product' might initially appeal to this niche socio-demographic but will not achieve big success unless it crosses over to a wider market.

In summary he became popular because he understood that there's lots more people who don't like jazz than do like jazz.




Lights blue touch paper and retires to a safe distance.

 

[Greywolf]

Moz wrote:
in general, jazz fans are OLD.

Perhaps but in the bands I play in I'm one of the oldest. In the jam session I play regularly and in one of the bands we have a a 16 year old trombonist (girl), a 15 year old trumpeter and bass player (girl) a 15 year old alto/tenor player (girl), a 19 year old and 21 year old bass player and clarinet/saxophone players respectively (both male, both at leeds college of music studying jazz.).

I could reel off a string of other names all in their twenties and thirties who play jazz together here (Morecambe and Lancaster)

I don't know if this is uncommon but we do have a thriving musical life here representing many genres but I think we are particularly lucky regarding jazz, I play (mostly) jazz 4 nights a week with 4 different groups of musicians.

 

[old_git]

Jadoube wrote:
Its a probability thing which is why I stress that all types of people like jazz.
Its based on folk who answer surveys to say they listen to jazz, not measured by actually turning up to listen. To be fair they (or some of them) say they like other music as well.
My boss is that demographic. Enthusiastic about jazz (so long as its not 'modern') but also frequent visitor to chamber music recitals and opera.
Nice bloke so I'm not getting at the demographic

Wonder if he reads this board?

It would be interesting to know how many are jazz returnees. Spent many, many, many years as a folkie before returning to the jazz/blues scene and with a different instrument but also a much greater appreciation of all genres. Different from my earlier days when there were mouldy figs, mainstreamers and cool fans and never the three would mix.

 

[jadoube]

OG,

He doesn't read this board as far as I know. I paraphrased the description from stuff he wrote, so perhaps he'd be flattered. 🙂

Sorry, no data regarding returnees


John

 

[dooce]

david keighley wrote:
I still dont get this hate Kenny G thing,ok many hard core jazz fan's dont like his or smooth jazz thing but i still think the guy can play some great sax,to many jazz SNOB'S around for me,i like all style's of music and respect every person that sit's in his,her bedroom for year's woodshedding to learn there instrument for there joy of music.I dont buy his cd's but still think he is world class at his horn in his stlye of music he play's.

Absolutely agree. You don't neccessarily have to like the music to be able to respect the players skill.

 

[greg_strange]

The latest issue of Saxophone Journal has an interview with Kenny G and quite interesting. I agree with David above about all this 'hate Kenny G' stuff. To me it's all about professional jealousy - the biggest seller of instrumental music on the planet = truck load of money. To some people all the exposure to the world of the saxophone maybe via Kenny G's music and if that inspires somebody to pick up the sax and learn to play that's great, and hopefully these people will investigate/research and appreciate some of the masters of yesteryear like Hodges, Webster, Young, Coltrane, and some of the people that inspired Kenny G to play like Crawford, Newman, Sanborn, Walker, Curtis, etc. I own dozens of different albums from Hodges, Desmond, Adderley, Parker, Byas, Criss, Coltrane, King Curtis, Webster, Young, Crawford, Gato Barbieri, Ernie Watts, Sanborn, Tom Scott, Dave Woodford in Dr. Strut, Raphael Ravenscroft, Andy Mackey, Pete Thomas, Dave Koz, etc and also Kenny G and to me they are all skilled players.
That's my 10c worth.
Regards,
Greg Strange.