Customer Reviews

Breathless

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

This is a wonderful CD, with music ranging in tone from the poignantly bittersweet to the sweetly joyful. The soothing refrains of Kenny G's sax makes for a very mellow, relaxing listening experience. If you love beautiful music, then this is a must have CD. For those critics who say that this is not jazz, I would agree with you. It does not mean that it is not worthy. Open up your heart to its beauty, and stop being so pompous and hung up on labels. This is a CD well worth listening to.

"To All of You: I can't begin to tell you all how much your support means to me. It is truly my pleasure to share my music with all of you. My heart, soul and two years of my life have gone into this collection of songs. It is inspired and heartfelt and is something that I felt was worth waiting for...I hope you agree." ~ Kenny G (1992)

This is one of the best CDs I have from one of my favorite contemporary jazz saxophonists, Kenny G, the virtuoso of the alto/tenor/soprano saxophone and a fantastic composer/arranger. Known for his soft and gentle melodies, Kenny G started his recording career with Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra in the mid-seventies, and since then had worked with the recordings of Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, to mention a few.

Breathless is aptly the right word to describe this amazing CD, which sold 30 Million copies worldwide. All the fourteen tracks are his original compositions. They're simply breathless and listener-friendly as well. It would take your breath away as you listen to each track starting with "The Joy Of Life," "In The Rain," "G-Bop" and "Forever In Love" - an award-winning gem for the Best Instrumental Composition in the 36th Annual Grammy Awards. Another noteworthy and moving track is "Sentimental" which was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in the 37th Annual Grammy Awards. Looks like every year, he's on the Grammy Spotlight.... as they say, when you're good, you're really good! And that's Kenny G.

This CD deserves to have more than five stars. Highly recommended! A great addition to your collection of the best saxophonists of our time.

Born Kenneth Gorelick, Kenny G is probably the best known American saxophonist. He rose to fame in the 1980s, and has gone places no other jazz musician has gone - in 2003, Kenny G was named the 25th-highest selling artist in America by the RIAA! Some dislike what he has done in the name of jazz, but it is hard to argue with success.

In fact, I love the smooth sound of Kenny G, and like this album immensely. Probably my favorite song on the album is his wonderful Forever In Love. Overall, I think that this is a great album. If you like the smooth jazzy sound of Kenny G, you'll like this CD. I highly recommend it!

There really are instances in musical history where the work of a
given artist can be mislabeled. Jazz zealots should not approach this area. Because of the sheer number of heart-touching tunes on this piece of work, "Breathless" is clearly about ROMANCE. Is there a lovelier tune than "Forever in Love"? No. I saw Kenny G perform most of these tunes. (Peabo Bryson opened the show and came back for "Before this Night is Over") They did not let the audience down. Simply put, "Breathless" became the biggest selling instrumental album of all time (documented). ALL the romantics must have bought it. Comparing KG to John Coltrane as some jazz zealots seem determined to do is like comparing Josh Groban to Buck Owens. Two different things entirely.

I think that the main reason so many people hate Kenny G is because he is compared to Jazz greats like Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Well, it is a simple conclusion that Kenny G is NOT a Jazz musician in the purist form. If you listen to him and then listen to Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, you can easily discriminate between the two forms of music. Why still hate him? Just because he was mislabeled doesn't give anyone the right to say that his music is crap. It's the Jazz purists who make me sick. They always have to label everything. It is either Jazz OR R&B OR Rock OR Blues OR whatever. Why does everything have to be labeled? And who died and gave the Jazz purists the power to be the ultimate labelers? Jazz is only but one of many musical styles and it is neither better or worse than the others. It's just different. Diversity makes the entire musical spectrum richer. Kenny G might not be a "Jazz" musician, but he is a GREAT contemporary instrumentalist who brilliantly blends R&B, Jazz and Pop. If you look at him this way, maybe you can appreciate his music. I also don't think it is fair to characterize all Kenny G fans as people who don't appreciate music. That is pure crap. There are many music lovers who absolutely HATE "real" Jazz, if there is such a thing. It doesn't mean that they are any less proficient in music appreciation. It's just that their likes and dislikes fall in different ranges.

Breathless is beautiful. If you just listen to it without having the Jazz purist chip-on-your-shoulder you may have actually appreciate the beauty of songs like "Forever in Love" and "Sister Rose" as well as the strikingly gorgeous "The Wedding Song". Kenny G has full command over his saxophone. His music is also very soulful. Many of his songs are like wordless urban adult contemporary songs. They are just as beautiful and soulful, yet instead of using a human voice, Kenny G gives a beautiful voice to an instrument.

If you appreciate beautiful music, no matter what the labeling or mislabeling, you will love this album. It is relaxing and soulful. Don't listen to the so-called Jazz purists.

Breathless is a real deal.. it's different,, each piece is unique..
It took you high.. you can sleep and have a wonderful dream even your eyes are open..
It's healthy listening to each one of those special pieces

I just love Kenny G

I am appalled at the extremely high number of negative reviews that I have been reading on all of the product pages on this saxophonist. Granted, I certainly don't understand how they could categorize him with classic jazz artists like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, and others because Kenny G cannot be compared to the former.

That said, I have come here to say that "Breathless" is very true to it's title. This album leaves me breathless with it's soulful beauty, warm melodies and joyous mood. This is my album to listen to to escape from emotionally straining events or to just lift my mood up for the morning.

My favorite songs are "Sentimental", "By The Time This Night Is Over", "A Year Ago" and "Home" which are among Kenny's greatest songs he's ever performed, cover version or original. "A Year Ago" left me in tears when I first heard it when I was a young kid when this album came out and it's still a powerful track to this very day. The same is true with "Home" which is just beautiful.

His albums have varied in enjoyability over the years but "Breathless" as of writing this review, remains his greatest accomplishment and is a highly recommended CD. Tell the 'purists' to can it and go ahead and buy this wonderful CD. You will not be dissapointed. I swear it.

If you buy this Cd Ia advise you to either: A.burn it B.burn it C. burn it D.see if you can get your money back , otherwise burn it.

I walked down the aisle to "Forever in Love" instead of the traditional wedding march and used many other songs on the "tape" at the time - I bought the Cd so we would have a better copy for our upcoming 12th anniversary - this collection will always be a treasured memory and timeless selections of wonderful romantic and peaceful music. Always treasured, Kenny G

For producing repetitions of the same music for over a decade and especially on this CD, it is my right to rate this album as such.