Be More Like Kenny G.

Recently I watched the documentary Listening to Kenny G., which seeks to explain the paradox of Kenny G., i.e., why his fans LOVE him (it’s noted several times throughout the movie that he’s the #1 selling instrumentalist of all time) and jazz critics LOATHE him. What it comes down to is expectations—or, if you will, perspective—what a listener seeks from music on a date or driving home form work or wandering around a mall is different from the interaction, improvisation, and link in a long history of music that a jazz aficionado wants to experience.

But the documentary doesn’t come out and say this; rather it’s something I gradually gleaned up from the interviews and scenes that play out without commentary. At the end of it, Milo, who watched it with me, said, “I like how [the movie] didn’t tell me what to think.” It’s refreshing in this day and age to not be propagandized at. It’s also refreshing to see perspectives shift: critics developing, over the course of the documentary, an appreciation for Kenny G. and Kenny G. engaging in some self-reflection about how aspects of his “smooth jazz” position in the jazz world might be problematic.

I went into the movie a complete Kenny G. agnostic, and I still can’t hear the difference between “Songbird” and “Going Home” (though I do get a nostalgic transport back to the Cinderella City mall of my childhood). But I liked the doc so well that I watched it twice, and what interested me the most is what I could learn about the creative life from Kenny G. And here’s what I came up with:

1. Own Your Talent

   Halfway through the documentary, I said to Milo, “Kenny G. is either the most humble egotist or the most egotistical humble person.” He says things like:

   “That’s a hard lick; I played it really well.”

   “ When I hear my sax, I sit back and go, that’s f-ing beautiful.”

   “I come up with melodies the whole world likes. If I think it sounds good, it probably does.”

   These things are all said with complete sincerity—neither humble brags (oh garsh, this old thing?) nor braggy-brags (look how much better I am than you). So many creative people I know (myself included) stack so many disclaimers, self-deprecations, and self-doubts on their own work. I think we could all take a cue from Kenny G. and say, “This is a thing I wrote/made/painted/built/sang, and it’s really good.”

2. Strive for Perfection

   The documentary shows Kenny G. engaged not only in making music, but also in some of his other pursuits (golf, flying, parenting, investing) and household chores (laundry, baking a pie). About these he says things like: “I want to be good at everything,” and “Household chores are a lot of fun for me. It’s like a detail thing, where you get a reward if you do it well.” This is the opposite of my M.O. for the last 25 years, where my mantras have been “lower your standards” and “half-assed is better than no ass.” This may have helped me survive years of raising little kids (including twins!) while also working and trying to have a creative life, but maybe now that some of that pressure is off, it’s time I aim to get good at the things I do and, at least in my writing (if not my household chores), to do as Kenny G. also says, “Evolve. Keep getting better.”

3. Practice

   When Kenny G. visits his old high school, the principal invites him to sign the wall of fame, and (after considerable hemming and hawing), he writes, “Go for what you love and practice, practice, practice.” He says he practices music three hours a day and gets excited by the idea of practicing even more. I’m trying to work out what “practice” means in terms of writing—Is journaling practice? Responding to prompts? Working on specific projects? All of the above?—And what is the optimal amount of practice time per day?

4. Smile

   I know, I know, I hate being told to smile, but there’s something so infectious in the documentary about Kenny G.’s big, goofy smile. “I’ve been a happy kid my whole life,” he says. Writing away in my little isolated corner of the world can be hard and isolating, but it’s also way better than any job I’ve ever had (even if the paycheck is way worse than any job I’ve ever had). And when it goes well, it’s really fun. So why not smile and enjoy that fun? And why not smile when it’s tough, too, because I’m not in a cubicle doing someone else’s bidding?

I have a real tendency to be an indoors-after-dark kind of person, but this fall I’ve been working to overcome my diurnal nature and spend more time out in the night—and I don’t mean clubbing, but rather sky watching. In October, thanks to a tip from Emmet, Curry and I caught the northern lights (which was nice, since we’d missed the big aurora in May). Later in the month, I led a full-moon walk for a local nature center. Curry and I also went out several nights to view Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), aided greatly by a long stretch of clear, warm weather that made sky watching a pleasure. I brought my star chart and worked at relearning the constellations I’d forgotten. I retreated indoors due to sadness and cold for most of November (though Curry and I did go on our own full moon walk, despite the clouds), but this week I’ve been trying to get back into the habit of venturing out at night, enjoying the sight of bright Venus in the southwest, and the handful of constellations I can name on sight. This month’s full moon comes on Sunday, and the Geminid Meteor Shower peaks tonight and tomorrow—I’ll definitely go out for the moon, though I’m not sure I’ll get up early in the morning for the meteors. And I plan to take the family out on our traditional Winter Solstice hike to the river on the night of December 21st.

If getting out and exploring at night this winter sounds fun to you, check out my article for Green & Healthy Maine: “Oh, What a Night! Exploring Maine’s Winter Wilds after Dark.”

Take a peek at what I’ve been reading in my November 2024 Reads post.

Check out for my article on exploring winter nights in Maine in the 2024 Green & Healthy Maine Winter Guide, which you can find your local tourist center, coffee shop, natural foods store, or other likeminded business, or online here.

Get your copy of Uphill Both Ways: Hiking toward Happiness on the Colorado Trail.

Happy Holidays, dear friends! I hope that you enjoy the festivities, find time to rest and reflect on the year behind and the one ahead, get outside to explore (especially at night!), and take time to engage in creativity. See you next year!