The Moment

Performer: Kenny G
Artist: Toni Braxton; Babyface; Sheila E.; Paulinho Da Costa
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Personnel includes: Kenny G (soprano, alto & tenor saxophones, various instruments); Babyface (vocals, programming); Toni Braxton (vocals); Walter Afanasieff (various instruments); Michael Thompson (guitar); Greg Phillinganes (piano); Dan Shea (keyboards, programming); Nathan East (bass); Paulinho De Costa, Sheila E. (percussion); Marc Nelson, Dede O'Neal (background vocals). Producers: Kenny G, Babyface, Walter Afanasieff. Engineers include: Steve Shepherd, Brad Gilderman, Dana Jon Chappelle. "Havana" was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. To say that Kenny G has found himself a niche in our musical landscape would be a pretty serious understatement. He has built a monumental career by catering to the needs of a healthy portion of the record-buying public--music that soothes the soul, warms the heart and, perhaps most important, places no undue stress on the brain. THE MOMENT, Kenny G's ninth release, continues the trend--Mr. G. is no fool. Nor is he a slouch on the soprano saxophone. His inspired soloing on the aptly-named, Latin-tinged "Havana," the clean funk of "Eastside Jam" and the high drama of "The Champions Theme" demonstrate his strengths as a musician who understands the importance of melody and line better than many singers. But not all singers. Toni Braxton and Babyface do guest spots on THE MOMENT, and they fit in beautifully. Braxton makes a characteristically sexy contribution to "That Somebody Was You." The lusciously smooth "Everytime I Close My Eyes" gets the full Babyface treatment, which, as most R&B aficionados will tell you, makes for a pretty special track. So special, in fact, that Babyface includes it on his own latest release, THE DAY.

Entertainment Weekly (10/18/96, pp.77-78) - "...Not only does [THE MOMENT] emphasize mood over momentum and tenderness over tension, but it wraps each engaging melody in arrangments that seem soft no matter how high the volume....elevates background music to a minor art form." - Rating: B

Saxophonist Kenny G first gained attention as Kenny Gorelick, a member of second-tier jazz-fusion group the Jeff Lorber Fusion. After going solo, he developed a hyper-slick, instrumental pop sound that featured simple melodies played over gentle beds of jazzy mood music. With the help of clever promotion and marketing from Clive Davis's Arista Records, Kenny G's albums sold millions, and the saxophonist became one of the world's most famous modern instrumentalists. His success caused a great deal of debate in the jazz community, as his sound owed as much to Muzak and easy listening as it did to "serious" jazz.

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