Every December, one thing we can always depend on is a series of shows from Northwest native Kenny G at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley. The saxophonist, producer, and composer still calls Malibu home, but he always enjoys returning to the city that he grew up in and the club that he loves to play in.

Kenny G has a way with melody. That's not necessarily a revelation ─ more like a huge understatement ─ but it really comes into focus at this point in his amazing career. This is a musician who has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide, owns the best-selling instrumental record of all time (1992's 12-times-platinum Breathless), and has the number one Christmas record of all time (1994's eight-times platinum "Miracles"), and whose song "Going Home" has, improbably, become the official end-of-work-day anthem in China.

New album
At the heart of those achievements is Kenny's ability to convey deep emotional resonance with his saxophone, a skill never more apparent than on Innocence, his 20th studio album and fifth for Concord Records.

The 12-track project's theme is lullabies, which have existed for thousands of years, not only as a means of soothing babies to sleep but also to impart cultural and familial traditions. "Lullabies are very special to me," said Kenny, who has been mulling an album with this focus for several years and even mentioned the idea in passing in Penny Lane's acclaimed 2021 HBO documentary on him, Listening to Kenny G. "They hold a special place in my heart," he said. "It's the melodies. They are beautiful and timeless, and whenever I hear them, wonderful memories start rushing back to me."

For the last several years, Kenny has taken to the internet with gusto as new generations of listeners have discovered his music, and contemporary hitmakers, such as The Weeknd and Jon Batiste, have featured him for guest appearances on their albums. His posts have become memes and gone viral, as he continues to have fun with being his iconic self.

While the material from Innocence may not make much sense as part of Kenny's live show ("unless I'm playing at a nursery school or a private gig at somebody's house," he joked), it's most definitely not just an album for kids. Although, in Kenny's words: "I've already given you the albums that have made the babies ─ now I give you the album that puts them to sleep!"

"You can put it on when you want to get into a peaceful frame of mind," he offers. "Some people will hear the new tracks without thinking about them as lullabies and say they just sound like my original music, and that's great too. Also, young parents can enjoy this album. It might help them finally get some sleep."

Below are some excerpts from a recent conversation:

On Seattle
To me Seattle seems like a city that has a great balance. It has a great vibrant downtown, as well as a real working waterfront. But to balance that, one can drive for 10 minutes (let's pretend there is no traffic) and be out in a more natural setting. I love the views of the Olympics and Cascades, etc., and of course, I love it because I grew up here, so I feel "at home."

On what makes Jazz Alley unique
Wow, good question. I can't remember how many times we have done a run at Jazz Alley. Maybe six or so? Never for New Year's Eve, so this will be a first for us. And I really love performing [then], because I like providing a place for people to go to celebrate. It makes me proud of my team for working hard that night so others can enjoy and celebrate. And by the way, we do have fun too!

On seeing him live
Well, we have a lot of albums to draw from, so we do songs from a lot of different recordings. I think we will throw in a holiday song just because it's so close to Christmas. But my band is amazing, and I know the audience will be very impressed with their musicianship and showmanship. We have been performing together since the mid-'80s, so we are a really tight group, and I am very proud of the show we provide. It has great music, phenomenal musicianship (I humbly include myself with the rest of my guys here), dynamics, pace, etc., and we aren't stuffy musicians. We like the audience to feel like there is no wall between the performer and the listener.

On collaborations with The Weeknd and Jon Batiste
Yes, I did those collaborations. And they just happen. Someone talks to someone, and then I get a text message from The Weeknd, for example, and we take it from there. It's actually pretty cool how easy it is to collaborate, because everyone is so connected. And when I play on someone else's music, to me it's like putting together the pieces of a puzzle. So I work really hard to find just the right notes to put in the song when I am doing a solo for someone else. I try to play enough but not too much. It's a tricky balance.

On the wonders of the Sax
I wish I knew. It's all from my heart and instincts. I play things that sound good to me. I play things that sound right to me, and I just follow that, and it seems to lead me to the right places.

See Kenny G at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, Dec. 27-30, 2024. For ticket info and dinner reservations, go to
https://www.jazzalley.com or call 206-441-9729