Despite the mixed reaction that the music of Kenny G sometimes attracts, as the world’s best selling instrumentalist he remains in a league of his own. Anyone who has witnessed his live shows will attest to his astounding stage presence while as a recording artist his achievements know no bounds. Consequently it is particularly exciting to report that on January 27, 2015 Kenny will release his fourteenth studio album, the highly anticipated ‘Brazilian Nights’.
It is a project that exercises Kenny’s musical curiosity and which leans heavily on his long standing infatuation with bossa nova. In fact his inspiration for ‘Brazilian Nights’ has been drawn from timeless gems such as Cannonball Adderley’s version of ‘Quiet Nights’ and the posthumously released Stan Getz album, ‘Getz For Lovers’. The result is not only G’s own special tribute to the masters of bossa nova but also the opportunity for him to write and record original bossa nova music.
Opening up with the mellifluous ‘Bossa Antigua’ this tight ten-track collection is a mixture of classics and Kenny G originals with five of the songs written with longtime collaborator Walter Afanasieff. Standouts include ‘Bossa Real’, the gently pulsating ‘April Rain’ and the cinematic extravagance of the wonderful title cut.
Due out on Concord Records, even at this early stage, ‘Brazilian Nights’ looks set to be one of the headline CDs of 2015.