Jazz Luminaries George Benson & Kenny G Bring Their “Breezin’ & Breathless” Tour to Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Legendary jazz musicians, guitarist and songwriter George Benson and contemporary saxophonist Kenny G, have teamed up and are amidst a co-headlining excursion entitled the “Breezin’ & Breathless” tour. The trek just kicked off on May 13 at Choctaw Grand Theater in Durant, OK and makes its next stop at Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, MO on Wednesday, May 24. It is a celebratory outing, which marks the 40th anniversary of Benson’s Grammy Award-winning “Breezin'” album and the 25th anniversary of Kenny G’s Grammy Award-winning “Breathless” album. Both artists are set to perform tunes from those career-defining records, as well as their greatest hits.
Benson’s career began in Pittsburgh in the early-’60s having spent those early years performing with artists such as Brother Jack McDuff and Miles Davis plus other instrumentalists. By 1976, he made history with the release of “Breezin’,” the first jazz record to attain platinum sales and the first to win a Grammy. He continued to release several hits throughout the 1980s, many of which remain a regular part of his setlist, including “Give Me The Night,” “Love X Love,” “Turn Your Love Around,” “Feel Like Making Love,” “In Your Eyes” and “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You.”
Kenny G released his self-titled debut album in 1982 and has become one of the greatest-selling modern day instrumentalists and artists of all time. His “Breathless” album released in 1992 has sold 12 million records in the United States alone and features two No. 1 hits on the Adult Contemporary chart. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a wide of array of singers, including Steve Miller, Stevie Nicks, Bruce Hornsby, Michael Bolton and Whitney Houston. Two hits from the ’80s continue to make his setlist, “Songbird” and “Silhouette.”
Together, George Benson and Kenny G have released more than 125 million records, won 11 Grammy Awards, released 16 chart-topping albums and 10 No. 1 tunes. Tickets for their performance inside Muriel Kauffman Theatre range from $85.50 to $135.50 and are available via the venue box office online and in person or by calling 816-994-7222 during the week, Monday through Friday between 10am and 6pm. Kauffman Center is located at 1601 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108. Doors open at 6:30pm, show starts at 7:30pm.
