Kenny G joins the Pacific Symphony at Verizon Amphitheater Aug. 23
Pacific Symphony continues the Summer Festival, this time with a night full of the sultry sounds of Grammy-winner Kenny G which consist of saxophone elements of R&B, pop and Latin. The guest conductor Albert-George Schram will lead the night on Aug. 23 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.
Saxophone extraordinaire Kenny G has sold over 75 million records worldwide and has topped Billboard’s contemporary jazz chart more than a dozen times. He has a reputation as the premier artist in contemporary jazz by mixing elements of R&B, pop and Latin into his smooth jazz foundation – which is why after debuting with Pacific Symphony in 2013 he is returning to take the stage with them again alongside Maestro Schram. “He played sax. I played trombone in the jazz band. He was phenomenal. I wasn’t. Clearly, he made it much further on his sax than I did on my trombone. I love his endlessly flowing music. He is also a very dear man,” explains Maestro Schram.
The first half of the show will start off with Giocchino Rossini’s Overture to “The Barber of Seville” – one of the best and most recognized pieces in the classical/opera repertoire. Continuing with several other well-known pieces such as Joseph Hellmesberger’s intriguing dance piece “ Danse Diabolique in D minor,” Victor Vanacore’s mambo medley “Viva El Mambo,” the incredibly famous “Born To Hand Jive” from the musical “Grease,” and several other famous pieces.
“First and foremost, I picked repertoire that will be real fun for the audience,” says Schram. “Secondly, I really wanted Pacific Symphony to shine. It is such a fine orchestra filled with world-class musicians. It is always an honor to work with them. This will be my first time in the outdoor amphitheater and I look forward to being there with the great Pacific Symphony and my man Kenny G.”
Kenny G is known for favorites such as “Midnight Motion” and “Songbird,” many say you can’t think of the saxophone without Kenny G coming to mind. He is also known for holding the record for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone – and E-flat for 45 minutes and 12 seconds! All of his works have gained him an incredible international audience plus has led to him working with greats such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Michael Bolton and Natalie Cole. Some more recent works that he’s done is performed with Foster The People on SNL and appeared in Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night” music video.
Maestro Schram has worked with pop artist such as James Taylor, Art Garfunkel, Chris Botti, LeAnn Rimes, Boyz II Men, Olivia Newton-John, Chicago, Aretha Franklin and many others. For more information and to purchase tickets to this and other Pacific Symphony’s Concerts Under The Stars series check out the symphony’s website at www.pacificsymphony.org or call (714) 755-5799.