Path methany goes hard on Kenny G

[kensuguro]

lol, just came by this article from a search on general sax topic:
Methany on Kenny G
http://www.johnharle.com/philosophy/art ... ennyG.html

"But when Kenny G decided that it was appropriate for him to defile the music of the man who is probably the greatest jazz musician that has ever lived by spewing his lame-ass, jive, pseudo bluesy, out-of-tune, noodling, wimped out, fucked up playing all over one of the great Louis's tracks (even one of his lesser ones), he did something that I would not have imagined possible. He, in one move, through his unbelievably pretentious and calloused musical decision to embark on this most cynical of musical paths, shit all over the graves of all the musicians past and present who have risked their lives by going out there on the road for years and years developing their own music inspired by the standards of grace that Louis Armstrong brought to every single note he played over an amazing lifetime as a musician."

About Kenny G's recording over Armstrong's tracks.. I mean, Methany wrote it.. that's pretty much a silver bullet through the heart. I'm surprised Kenny G is still breathing. I cannot imagine a bigger piece of rock falling on any musician of any caliber.

I was just laughing through the entire article.

"He had major rhythmic problems and his harmonic and melodic vocabulary was extremely limited, mostly to pentatonic based and blues-lick derived patterns, and he basically exhibited only a rudimentary understanding of how to function as a professional soloist in an ensemble"

thanks for the recap Methany, you just turned my opinions into Methany approved facts, plated with platinum.

[garyb]

no doubt that project is shit, but Metheny sure is an arrogant bastard himself. i find his music bland and uninspiring for all his skill, but i respect the fact that many really like him. heck, many really like Kenny G, for that matter...

[dawman]

I have wanted to chase Kenny G. through any shopping mall and lash him with a Bull whip for years now. I have to listen to his wimpy melodies for an entire month while trying to Christmas shop and it drives me mad. Thanks to him there are 1000's of Smooth Gay Jazz recordings that would make a maggot puke.
I would love to hear him beg for mercy, but I'm afraid it would make me want to beat him even harder.
Matheny is an arrogant bastard but years ago he was the guy to have in your group, like when he gigged in St.Louis with Wayne Shorter and Bob James. On his own he seems to have incomplete ideas.
But I totally support the public flogging of this greasy rodent.
I bet he squats to take a piss...

[braincell]

There are countless very lengthy threads on this on saxontheweb.net. It's old news. Now Pat Metheney seems to regret his rant because he is constantly asked about it in interviews. It was from an early bulletin board and he claims it was intended as a comment to his brother.

This is why a lot of famous people don't say what they really think online. Some won't even use the internet.

Obviously, Metheney has way more talent but I don't like either one of them for different reasons. More controversial is the Keith Jarrett rant:

Keith Jarrett on Wynton Marsalis:

"Wynton imitates other people's styles too well," he says. "You can't learn to imitate everyone else without a real deficit. I've never heard anything Wynton played sound like it meant anything at all. Wynton has no voice and no presence. His music sounds like a talented high-school trumpet player to me. He plays things really, really,really badly that you cannot screw up unless you are a bad player. I've felt embarrassed listening to him, and I'm white. Behind his humble speech, there is an incredible arrogance. And for a great black player who talks about the blues - I've never heard Wynton play the blues convincingly, and I'd challenge him to a blues standoff any time. He's jazzy the same way someone who drives a BMW is sporty."

[kensuguro]

right, methany is.. a whole story in itself. He used to kick ass but the older he gets the more mellow and "methany" his stuff becomes. I guess it's a distillation process, but I don't personally like it. But it sure feels great to have him reassure my sentiments about Kenny G.

Can't really comment on Wynton Marsalis.. Keith is just a harsh person I think. He did chill out over the years. Keith is a living legend, but I have a hard time connecting with is playing at a personal level. His stuff is like an engineering whitepaper. My teacher worships Keith tho.

[braincell]

I agree 100% with what Keith said but there are a lot of very loyal Wynton Marsalis fans so this is also the source of threads with anger.

Keith Jarrett played with Miles Davis. I doubt that Miles would have anything nice to say about Wynton but that's merely my conjecture.

Then there is the Jason Marsalis rant on new jazz:

http://youtu.be/HN5xyZvMjJc

[siriusbliss]

I love Metheny.
Hate Kenny.

Metheny's rant is correct. Not just his opinion.

Period.

G

[braincell]

I love Metheny.
Hate Kenny.

Metheny's rant is correct. Not just his opinion.

Period.

G

Yes I agree with Metheny about G but I can't listen to Metheney. I have tried because he is recognized as a great or perhaps a "genius" musician and after hearing him talk on NPR a few times, he comes off as an interesting person. The core of what I don't like about his music and a lot of other jazz, classical and pop music is that it is overproduced. I feel there is no innocence to it, no roughness, no random ugliness and he would not be one to take any chances.