POP MUSIC REVIEW : No Kenny G Fence-Sitters

By one standard, saxophonist Kenny G’s show at the Pond of Anaheim on Saturday night was a rousing success, deserving an A. By another, though, it rates a resounding F.

Let’s take the A side first. Nobody plays lite jazz (a mellow hybrid of traditional jazz and Muzak) better than Kenny G--short for Gorelick. Backed by five capable musicians, he performed instrumental pieces from his phenomenally successful albums. The numbers--mainly ballads and medium-tempo numbers--were built around his highly melodic solos, which have a romantic and spiritual aura that clearly turns audiences on.

What he’s shrewdly done is zero in on an over-25 pop audience that leans toward melodic New Age music and may also have a vague interest in traditional jazz--but finds it too complex and not melodic enough. To capture that crowd, he waters down the jazz, coats it with pop and soft-rock elements and pumps it full of melody. Add a humble, likable persona and you have a superstar who’s in a commercial class by himself.

But here’s why G also merits an F.

Those who are really into hard-core jazz wouldn’t have lasted through 10 minutes of this two-hour show. They’d thumb their noses at his solos after listening in vain for vestiges of soul, passion or creativity. His cloyingly sweet tone would be enough to drive them to the exit.

Also, it wasn’t easy to stomach the hokey, show-biz gimmicks--like the old note-stretching trick. He’d play a single note for a well over a minute, eliciting oohs and ahhs from awe-struck fans who equate that with talent. Even worse, near the end of the show he strolled through the arena, reeling off solo after solo to the delight of fans thrilled by the personal contact.

If you’ve ever marveled at solos by great sax players like John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, Kenny G’s are, by comparison, just skin-deep and soulless, full of barren ideas and empty repetition.

How good is Kenny G? It depends on which side you’re on.