Pat Metheny on Kenny G

Pat Metheny's answer to a Polish reporter's question about the acceptance of jazz music. Includes memorable quote on his opinion of Kenny G and his music. Sorry for the lousy un-synced video quality, but this is how it came to me (highly compressed Real Media format, further compressed by YouTube's own process).

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  Music

[ManOfGod626]

He thinks Kenny G's music is the dumbest music in the world, so I guess he never heard of rap. At least none of Kenny's music glorifies, murder, armed robbery, degradation of women, or drug use.

[JazzKeyboardist1]

Almost ironic that people do not see the irony between Satchmo's Life/Career threatening crusade for Tolerance and Metheny's Puritanism,, A Fun visual Montage would have Metheny, Joseph McCarthy and Osama bin Laden at the Topeka Westboro Baptist Church,,, Would it be ironic if Metheny's kid joined Kenny G's Band, McCarthy's kid was a Communist, Westboro's founder's son was gay and the Seal that killed Osama was his own son named Oedipus? just kinda kidding

[Studio201recording]

Pat makes a great point.

[chickeneggchickeneg1]

Everybody is different. People LIKE different things. Period paragraph. Lots of people LOVE death metal. I can't see why, but what does it matter? My music experience isn't about what they like. I hang out with people, do things and enjoy things that I like. I love Pat Metheny. I listen to his music religiously, but I also like one of kenny G's albums. All the others I didn't like. Some people like them too though. So what. What is this obsession? People are different and like different things.

[vecernicek2]

Why should it? E.g., bossa nova pattern is simple, repetitive two bar pattern; does it mean its stupid? No, its great, AND simple. Stupid jazz solos may be 100x more complex than clever jazz solos (which use motivic development, which imply more repetition, etc.). Most complex chord is all the 88 keys at once. Is it the most beautiful ore smartest one? Stupid music is often fairly simple, but how does imply that simple=stupid and complex=smart? Do you really want me to define stupidity??

[panamanian911]

What is your definition of stupid and cheesy if not the opposite of complex?

I don't believe that the "serious" thinkers of the world concern themselves with which type of music is better than others. You haven't given me a reason as to why it's ok to insult someone like that, just because of their music. I really don't get it. I'm sure that somewhere inside of Kenny G's music, there is something in there to learn, just like there is in twinkle twinkle little star, as simple as it may be.

[vecernicek2]

I am not accommodating my argument. You are making it up. There is no logical way to infer that "only complex music is good" from saying that "Kenny G's music is cheesy and stupid and lacks creativity." I don't see why cheesy and stupid, or lacking creativity equals to simple. The bottom line is that Pat Metheny is, apart from being one of the greatest musicians of our time, a person with great insight into music in general and a serious thinker. Check out his writings.

[panamanian911]

You're accommodating your argument now that you see that it was flawed at first. You went from claiming that his arrangements are "cheesy and stupid, lacking creativity" (hinting that only complex music is good, but then citing BB as an example when his music is simple). Now you want to get into specifics. The bottom line is that there is no reason to insult Kenny G, no matter how stupid you think his music is. Dick move by Metheny. Great player, great musician, shitty way to conduct himself.

[vecernicek2]

Believe me, I am not confusing beginner with simple. I like a lot of music, which is simple. BB King plays simple. Beatles played simple. Nirvana played very very simple. Louis Armstrong played simple. Relative to the complexity of contemporary jazz, even Wes Montgomery played simple. Even though Jim Halls music is theoretically rather complex, in a way he playes simple - very few notes, all have meaning. I love all of the above musicians. Its more about refinement than complexity.

[panamanian911]

You're confusing "beginner" with "simple." Music doesn't have to be complicated. What is music? Music started as a tribal activity. There was no division between musicians and others. It was only a fun sharing activity. I appreciate the fact that it became an art after thousands of years, but always remember where it started. If you think music should just be more and more complicated, then you're looking at it from the wrong angle. Music doesn't have to be any way. It is what it wants to be.