pat metheny on kenny g

a little impromptu discussion in the office here about the relative merits of kenny g and michael bolton brought me back to this lovely little quote from guitarist pat metheny from 2000 regarding his initial statement in a short video clip that kenny g plays "the dumbest music on the planet." i still think this stands as one of the most comprehensive and spot-on critical smackdowns of anyone. ever. he is speaking about g's overdubbing of himself onto "what a wonderful world," by the late-great louis armstrong.

"When Kenny G decided that it was appropriate for him to defile the music of the man who is probably the greatest jazz musician that has ever lived by spewing his lame-ass, jive, pseudo bluesy, out-of-tune, noodling, wimped out, fucked up playing all over one of the great Louis's tracks (even one of his lesser ones), he did something that I would not have imagined possible. He, in one move, through his unbelievably pretentious and calloused musical decision to embark on this most cynical of musical paths, shit all over the graves of all the musicians past and present who have risked their lives by going out there on the road for years and years developing their own music inspired by the standards of grace that Louis Armstrong brought to every single note he played over an amazing lifetime as a musician. By disrespecting Louis, his legacy and by default, everyone who has ever tried to do something positive with improvised music and what it can be, Kenny G has created a new low point in modern culture - something that we all should be totally embarrassed about - and afraid of."