JAZZ REVIEW : Kenny G Holds His Breath at the Greek Theatre

Is Kenny G starting to listen to his critics?

You might think so after his appearance at the Greek Theatre on Wednesday, the first night of a four-night stand. G, often criticized for a lack of substance and ability, seemed so intent on displaying his technique that it proved a distraction for the usually melodically minded songbird of the saxophone.

Playing tenor and alto but mostly soprano during a two-hour show, G concentrated on his current album, “Breathless,” and its mix of soft ballads and backbeat. His sound, thin and slightly pinched, was enhanced with so much reverb that it was difficult at times to tell vibrato from echo. Switching from soprano to alto seemed unnecessary, as his sound on both instruments is remarkably similar.

From the moment he walked on the stage playing a single, long-lasting soprano tone, the saxophonist was aiming for a place in the record books for his use of rotary breathing, a neat trick that allows a wind instrumentalist to play without breaking for breath. Almost every tune had a passage that featured the technique, with G dwelling at length on one note or on circular figures that he repeated endlessly. Once, he played the same tone, with slight modulations, for a timed one-and-a-half minutes, a ploy that brought cheers from his fans as well as a few calls for him to get on with it.

G also made plenty of room for long, fleet passages that ran up and down the scales. These displays often popped up out of nowhere, existing for their own sake rather than in the context of his narrative. Then, just as unpredictably, he would return to pensive, teasingly melancholy phrases. It’s hard to figure how someone so gifted at milking melodic interest out of the most mundane theme can lose all sense of lyricism just because he’s playing fast.

Midway through the show, G brought his five-piece band to the front of the stage to perform an “unplugged” number, “Sister Rose,” which featured drummer Bruce (Boo Boo) Carter using brushes on a simple snare and cymbal set-up. With the group seated in front of a Bourbon Street backdrop, G led them through the show’s jazziest moments, replete with walking bass and acoustic guitar accompaniment. Even so, the saxophonist’s own approach changed little during the number.

G’s best moments came after an unaccompanied, unremarkable rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” when he sped through a classically influenced passage that featured an array of clever variations and descending chordal progressions. But he was soon back to the easily accessible, slickly decorated approach that won him his success.

Singer’s Peabo Bryson’s brief opening set was also on the sweet side, with the gospel-influenced vocalist bringing a kid out of the audience for the theme from the animated version of “Beauty and the Beast.” As he does on “Breathless,” Bryson later joined G for Michael Bolton’s “By the Time This Night Is Over,” but his rich, resonant tones made for an embarrassing contrast with the saxophonist’s lean sound.