Kenny G Live

by Alex Henderson

Quite often, so-called smooth jazz artists who are mindlessly predictable in the studio become a lot more spontaneous and risk-taking on-stage. Playing for themselves instead of pandering to radio, they're much more inclined to let loose. Released as both a two-LP set and as a single CD, Kenny G Live is an improvement over 1986's Duotones and 1988's Silhouette, the knee-jerk studio recordings that made him a superstar. The saxophonist lets loose on the funky "Midnight Motion" and the catchy "I've Been Missin' You," which he co-wrote with R&B singer Kashif for 1983's G Force. There are also two new studio offerings, "Going Home" and "Uncle Al."