Kenny G donates his saxophone to charity auction in Vietnam

The press conference, one day before the performance at the Opera House, warmed up the chilly atmosphere of a rainy afternoon in Hanoi .

Artist Kenny G enters the auditorium to meet the press and fans.

He shared comfortably despite having just experienced a long flight.

Kenny G, as the opening artist of the Good Morning Vietnam project, came to the capital Hanoi with friendly greetings from two cultures that touched each other through music , the wordless emotions from the saxophone melodies that have gone deep into the memories of every Vietnamese music lover.

At the press conference, artist Kenny G humorously shared with Producer Nguyen Thuy Duong that he is not difficult, but it was not easy for the production unit to invite him to return to Vietnam this time.

Mr. Nguyen Thuy Duong - Production Director of Kenny G Live in Vietnam Program said: Up until this moment, seeing Mr. Kenny G sitting here, the production side is only 2/3 reassured.

Mr. Duong shared with overflowing emotions: "Millions of Vietnamese people and many generations love Kenny G's trumpet. Since I was a child, I listened to his music through cassette tapes, then later USBs and video tapes or DVDs. It seems that Kenny G's passion for music has been transmitted to my heart and emotions.

The first time I got to know Kenny G's team, I worked with the US Department of Commerce's chamber of commerce when I went to Las Vegas to attend the World's Fair in 2005. It was also an opportunity for me to get to know the US entertainment industry in the music capital of the world, Los Angeles.

The representative of the US Department of Commerce connected me with Kenny G's representative. We talked a lot about his love for music, his understanding of music as well as his experience in music production in Vietnam. My colleagues in Asia as well as in the US shared with me a lot of experience on how to organize an international standard concert with us.

After that, there were many letters between us. Kenny G's representative carefully looked at my personality, my love for Kenny as well as the sound and lighting quality. My team and I worked very hard to meet Kenny G's requirements.

The next step is to prepare financially. It is very expensive to invite the artist's crew. The last important thing is to prove that the audience really loves and accepts the artist. After doing all that, Kenny's side will start to agree to enter into negotiations.

Mr. Nguyen Thuy Duong - Kenny G - Mr. Le Quoc Minh ( Member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, President of the Vietnam Journalists Association) Head of the Good Morning Vietnam Program.

One difficulty is that after the Covid-19 pandemic, the return of music and art is not easy. The initiative of Mr. Le Quoc Minh and the initiative of Nhan Dan Newspaper are to spread world music to many Vietnamese audiences. That is the opportunity for me to bring Mr. Kenny G back to Vietnam for the second time.

Mr. Minh opened the opportunity for me to bring Mr. Kenny G here to the audience, to serve the community together. Those were the difficulties and hardships. I, my heart, Mr. Minh and millions of Vietnamese audiences were waiting for Kenny G. When I saw Mr. Kenny's curly hair appear at the airport, I was filled with so many emotions. At that time, I could only say to Mr. Minh: "Brother, Kenny G is here, he is here to the Vietnamese audience", Mr. Duong shared emotionally.

It is known that the Kenny G Live in Vietnam program will take place with a duration of nearly 2 hours following the performance format of artist Kenny G on major stages around the world.

Accordingly, Kenny G - who won a Grammy for Forever in love, along with his accompanying band, will play live all the most famous songs of the past years such as: Going home, Havana, Romeo & Juliet, My heart will go on... In addition, the producer intends to propose the artist to perform the song "Bèo đat Mây trôi", a very famous song.

Kenny G said: "I liked the song as soon as I heard it. However, in the past month, my team and I have been on tour continuously, so we haven't had time to research how to play this melody, what notes to play, or how to combine it with the pianist. From now until tomorrow, it will be very difficult for us to bring Vietnamese folk music into the program. However, if we have time, it will be a great combination."

Artist Kenny G plays a tune with the trumpet that has been with him since his childhood, it is more than 60 years old.

The artist gave Mr. Le Quoc Minh - Head of Good Morning Vietnam Program, a limited edition trumpet, which is no longer produced in the world, to contribute to the charity fund.

Artist Kenny G and Mr. Nguyen Thuy Duong took a photo with the trumpet. It is known that in Mr. Kenny G's life, this is the second time he has given a trumpet. The first time was to US President Bill Clinton, the second time was to the charity fund of Nhan Dan Newspaper.

In addition, Kenny G expressed his emotion at the humane meaning of the program that the saxophone legend participated in this time.

He donated his familiar trumpet to the Organizing Committee to auction to raise money for the Good Morning Vietnam project as a contribution to the charity project, which was the first time Kenny G performed for such a large community program.

Mr. Le Quoc Minh said about the auction of the award of artist Kenny G: "We want to organize the auction professionally. We have a number of partners and will choose one of these partners to organize the auction according to the standards and professional style. The entire amount will be contributed to our charity fund.

I also think many people would like to own this meaningful trumpet. I would like to repeat Kenny G's words, 'It is a copy of the trumpet that Kenny G used to use' but this is a new version and now they are not produced anymore.

We are sure that this beautiful trumpet, associated with a legendary person with a noble purpose, will be able to sell for the highest price, contributing to the charity fund."

Kenny G is known to the public as an American saxophonist with hundreds of instrumental songs in Smooth Jazz, R&B, Pop and Latin that have touched the hearts of millions of music lovers around the world for over 30 years. He is on the list of artists with the best-selling records of all time, with a total of more than 75 million records worldwide.

Rarely is there an instrumentalist who has been invited to collaborate with so many famous singers in many genres as Kenny G, from Andrea Bocelli, Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole, Michael Bolton to Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Natalie Cole, Michael Bolton, George Benson...

In 1994, Kenny G won a Grammy Award for Forever in Love and is the only artist in the world to be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the longest note on a saxophone for 45 minutes and 47 seconds. In 1997, he was officially honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

To the Vietnamese public, Kenny G is an extremely familiar name. His music has penetrated deeply into the subconscious and become an indispensable spiritual food in the 1990s. His music is still very popular in the contemporary musical life of many generations.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/kenny-g-tang-lai-chiec-ken-saxophone-de-dau-gia-gay-quy-tu-thien-tai-viet-nam-192231113190024842.htm