Captain Bacardi
Well-Known Member
If anyone needed another reason to despise Kenny G, here it is. This is from an interview from the Barnes & Noble website, with Ted Panken giving the interview. According to Kenny G, this is how jazz legend Charlie Parker got his nickname of "Bird". It's truly incredible:
Kenny G: "Nobody played faster and more clean than him. Except that there was another saxophone player named Sonny Stitt. He was actually an almost exact duplicate of Charlie Parker, except he played it even cleaner. Charlie Parker would squeak a lot, and that's why they called him Bird, because his reed would chirp."
Panken: "You think that's why they called him Bird? That's interesting."
Kenny G: "That is why why they called him Bird. That was the deal. He played so fast, and his reed would chirp because of it...I don't know, it just couldn't take the speed of his fingers. But Sonny Stitt used to do it without the chirping thing, and played beautiful. But I don't think he ever got the same accolades that Charlie Parker did, mainly because Charlie Parker was the first one."
Gary Giddins offered this about Kenny G:
"The origin of Kenny's 'G' is likewise subject to theories: that he only plays in the key of G; that he is the lost son of Matthew Gee; that he has a G-spot; that he was conceived in a Petrie dish from genomes; that when told a farcical story he nods his head and murmurs "Geeeee". The truth may never be known."
This is all part of the new issue of Jazztimes magazine. Entertaining reading to say the least!
Capt. Bacardi
Kenny G: "Nobody played faster and more clean than him. Except that there was another saxophone player named Sonny Stitt. He was actually an almost exact duplicate of Charlie Parker, except he played it even cleaner. Charlie Parker would squeak a lot, and that's why they called him Bird, because his reed would chirp."
Panken: "You think that's why they called him Bird? That's interesting."
Kenny G: "That is why why they called him Bird. That was the deal. He played so fast, and his reed would chirp because of it...I don't know, it just couldn't take the speed of his fingers. But Sonny Stitt used to do it without the chirping thing, and played beautiful. But I don't think he ever got the same accolades that Charlie Parker did, mainly because Charlie Parker was the first one."
Gary Giddins offered this about Kenny G:
"The origin of Kenny's 'G' is likewise subject to theories: that he only plays in the key of G; that he is the lost son of Matthew Gee; that he has a G-spot; that he was conceived in a Petrie dish from genomes; that when told a farcical story he nods his head and murmurs "Geeeee". The truth may never be known."
This is all part of the new issue of Jazztimes magazine. Entertaining reading to say the least!
Capt. Bacardi