He has sold more than 75 million records worldwide, won a Grammy and collaborated with Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin and Frank Sinatra. Yet saxophonist Kenny G still approaches his craft like an "A" student who insists on nothing shy of "A" plus.
"I've put in two to three hours [of practice] a day for the last 30 years. I figure that over time, this stuff is going to sink in and I'm going to keep getting better and better," said the instrumentalist, who is scheduled to perform at this weekend's 18th annual Capital Jazz Fest at Columbia's Merriweather Post Pavilion.
On the heels of his 13th studio album, "Heart and Soul," which is scheduled to be released this month, Kenny G returns to a venue where he says he enjoys performing, and this year he'll play on Sunday, the day after his 54th birthday.
He is among several renowned jazz and soul artists who will perform this weekend. Others include Patti Labelle, Patrice Rushen, the Jeff Lorber Fusion, Cameo, Raphael Saadiq and Gladys Knight.
"We always seem to have a good time there," said Kenny G about Merriweather. "It seems like we play there in June a lot. It's a really nice venue."
The Merriweather performance is part of a Kenny G tour that, according to his website, is scheduled to make stops in Toronto, Biloxi, Miss., and a private concert at the State House in Ghana, West Africa.
The Seattle-born musician is also featured in "Wheedle's Groove," a documentary about Seattle's soul and funk music scene in the 1960s and 1970s. The film played at the Maryland Film Festival in May.
"That was my start for playing regular gigs," said Kenny G, who back then played with an R&B group, Cold, Bold and Together.
His new album, a return to his R&B roots after the release of a Latin jazz recording two years ago, includes collaborations with contemporary R&B artist Robin Thicke and veteran performer/producer Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds.
"I grew up in pretty much an ethnic mix in my high school — black, Asian, white — it was pretty even all the way around. We listened pretty much to R&B music, so that is kind of my roots, the R&B feel," he said. "This [latest] record really does go back to that. For me, it's a labor of love in a way to kind of get reacquainted with the music I grew up with."
The projects illustrate how Kenny G has remained in the contemporary music landscape since releasing his first studio album in 1982. His big moment came six years later when he performed his signature hit, "Songbird," minutes after he and a producer had debated over whether he should play solo or with a vocalist.
Since then, he has had virtually unparalleled success for an instrumentalist, a run that includes his holiday album, "Miracles," which became the best-selling holiday album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking music sales (in 1991).
Still, he says, there's room for improvement. He spoke via telephone from his home in Los Angeles, where he said he would put in his two to three hours of practice as soon as the interview ended. He said he started playing when he was 10 and by college was practicing up to seven hours a day.
Back then, he said, listening to Grover Washington Jr. and "having not ever heard a sax played like that before" inspired him to do what he could to attain that level. After countless hours of listening to music and practicing, he said that his music began sounding "listenable."
Constant improvement and heaps of praise spurred him on to practice more.
"I know I'm a good saxophone player, I know I'm good," said Kenny G. "But because I still work at it two to three hours a day, I know that I will be one of the best. That is my commitment.
"There are people who are born with this gift, and they never have to practice, and they're still unbelievable. Those people are very, very rare. I, on the other hand, I practice two to three hours a day and that's how I stay as good as I am. And I think people appreciate that kind of commitment from an artist."
Playing at Merriweather in June all but assures warm weather, which Kenny G says is ideal for great saxophone playing, but only if the weather isn't a factor.
"Outdoors, I like the fact that it's comfortable when the weather is good, and it's really casual and romantic," he said. "Sometimes, I don't like the outside when there's wind, it's cold. It becomes very difficult to enjoy the experience, because I'm playing an instrument that's made out of metal and when it gets cold it's not that easy to play."
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If you go
Kenny G in Capital Jazz Fest. Event starts at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, at Merriweather Post Pavilion,10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. Tickets are $49.50-$410.00 (package for two). Call 301-780-9300 or go to capitaljazz.com/fest.